Blue Star
by hoshi.owl
Summary: Gray and Juvia find themselves living together once the guild is disbanded. And Gray was sure that it was Juvia's mission was to destroy him in every torturous way possible. Alone, they find something meaningful between them. / Mostly Gruvia, but mentions of other ships as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, Everyone! 3**

 **With the Fairy Tail sequel, I've risen! Doesn't it suck that we didn't get to see much about the 6 months that Gray and Juvia lived together?! I've always wondered how it went between them.. so this was sort of born. This is rated M for explicit themes and yes, you pervs, smut! I like writing in my free time, but I usually never publish anything cuz I don't think it's very good.**

 **Also! I'm not sure why I named this story "Blue Star" I think it's because in my mind I have a Lucy x Juvia BROTP. We'll see how I make it work...**

 **Let me know if you guys like this! I have more that I've written past this chapter, but I'm gonna be honest, I am fueled by positive reinforcement. It is truly my drug.**

 **So please review! Whether it's good or bad! (Be gentle, this is my first time... lol)**

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 **CHAPTER 1**

* * *

"I'm hoping that there will be a place that's cheap in Magnolia.." Juvia trailed off. Her unknowing tone faltered a bit towards the end. Quietly, she took a sip of her hot chocolate. Gray looked at her sternly. She hadn't mentioned what went down between them at his parents grave, and he was thankful for that. The waiter brought him his pint of beer and he quickly took a gulp, the alcohol warming his stomach.

"I'm sure there will be, I don't see Fairy Hills being repaired anytime soon. Hell, Fairy Tail isn't even…" His words trailed off. He still couldn't believe the old man disbanded their guild. It wasn't right. They should all be together at the guild bar. He should be around his friends, drinking his beer at the bar, not here in some old 24-hour restaurant. His apartment was still standing, last he knew. He took another hefty chug of his beer and noticed Juvia's odd shyness. She was looking down into her hot chocolate as if trying to see her future in it. Her blue waves cascaded down, and with the snow at the window, her skin looked paler.

"What's up with you?"

She looked up, startled. "Huh? N-Nothing! Juvia is alright.." she brings the cup to her pink lips and sips. Her smoky dark eyes looking far away. Gray continues to look sternly at her.

"You suck at lying."

Her dumbfounded eyes round out in defeat and Gray can't help but find her expression adorable as he finishes off his beer.

"The truth is.." her shoulders slump, " Fairy Hills was destroyed.. and well... All of Juvia's stuff was in there." Oddly, she gave him a sad smile as if trying to alleviate the news from herself as she said it aloud, "I lost everything... All of the money Juvia had kept away. The only money Juvia had left was for the train ride here .. and this hot chocolate."

Gray felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He hadn't even thought about how everyone who had been living at the Guild's dorms was displaced now. And if anyone was keeping their money in there for safekeeping as Juvia had... It was probably gone.

"No worries though, Gray-sama. Juvia can find some job postings... There must be some around here. There's probably someone who will give Juvia board in exchange for a couple jobs.."

Juvia was still talking but Gray was already zoning out. He felt guilty. He hadn't even thought about people like Juvia, people that lost everything as a result of the battle and the Guild being disbanded. _I was the one who suggested we go get some grub, too._ Across from him, Juvia was thinking aloud of anything she could do for a few Jewels with a painted deep blue fingernail on her plump lips.

"You've got nowhere to stay tonight, huh?"

Juvia stopped her rambling, and her expression shifted to what one could describe as melting. "Waahhh~" her eyes drooping in sad realization. "Juvia forgot~"

"Quit wailing!"

Juvia quickly stopped, looking at him in shock.

"Obviously, I'm not gonna leave you to sleep on a bench in the snow or somethin' so calm down."

Embarrassed, Juvia pushed back her cascading blue locks behind her perfectly sculpted ears, adorned with a small crescent moon stud earring. The tip of her nose was red from the beginning of what was going to become a flood inside this restaurant. She stayed quiet, taking the cup into her palms for warmth.

"Look," Gray looked down at her empty glass because saying this while looking at her was sure to start an unneeded 'Juvi-episode' as Lucy called it. "My family had this small house that my dad would use whenever he was off training. It's mine now, technically. That's where I'm supposed to be staying while all this Fairy Tail stuff is…" glancing up, he finds her brown eyes opened wide and in shock. Gray clears his throat and continues, "You can stay there while you get however much money you need to get back to Magnolia. It's fine." He did owe her, after all. For everything.

Finally finishing he looks up once more. She looks absolutely dumbfounded. She hasn't moved an inch. Gray groaned in annoyance. So much for avoiding the Juvi-episode, who knows what she could be imagining he just said right now in that head of hers.

It had been a week since Juvia started living under the same roof as Gray, and so far he had no complaints. Well, apart from her daydreaming anyway. Juvia was a good roommate. She cooked delicious meals and cleaned up after herself, and admittedly him. It didn't take long for her to find a job posting in the small village, and when she had enough money she took herself to the store to buy new clothes. She was tired of constantly having to wash her undergarments after all... She only had the one pair.

Coming back from the tailor's, she could see Gray training in the clearing beside the small house. The weather was already warming up a bit, Spring was going to start soon and now the snow wasn't so thick. With a couple of store bags in her hands, she approaches gleefully, "Gray-sama! I'm back, I'll start dinner soon!"

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he smiles slightly. "New stuff?", nodding to the bags.

"Ah! Yes! Juvia went to the tailor for a new outfit. This dress is.. Well.." He hadn't noticed before all the small rips and tears that her usual outfit had. "I also got a couple things to wear around the house and some new panti-"

"Sounds good!" He exclaims nervously. _I really don't need to know abou_ t that.

"I'll bring you some water, Gray-sama!"

Once, the sun started setting, Gray made his way inside the home. It was time for a good shower. Inside Juvia was starting dinner and he'd be lying if he said it didn't smell divine. Hearing him come inside, Juvia turns smiling, "It's almost done, Gray-sam…" Her face freezes in shock and no doubt she is daydreaming once more. "What?" He huffs, moving past her to get to the fridge and get a well-deserved beer. Juvia's voice is small and breathless. "You're naked again, Gray-sama."

No wonder he felt a breeze. "Shit."

Juvia stayed in the kitchen after Gray rushed to the bathroom. She felt her stomach flutter once more. To her, this almost seemed like a dream. Living in the same home as the man she loved. It was almost like a fairy tale. She felt good, the best she's felt in a while. Soon enough, now that she actually had clothes, she could save all her money towards getting herself a place in Magnolia. _And far from Gray-sama._ Inside, her stomach churned but this time, not with butterflies. That's right, once she had enough money she had to leave her beloved. The world was unfair. _It's the right thing..._ Her heart felt a tug. She still felt guilty for what she did to Silver-sama. Staring idly into the frying pan, she was lost to the memories of that fight. She had separated Father and Son.. and even though Gray had assured her that he was thankful, she was afraid. Afraid that secretly inside he hated her, and that every time he looked at her he would think of that time when his heart was broken because of her.

With a shaky breath, she mixed the contents in the pan. She couldn't let it burn, then Gray-sama would think she was a bad cook. _And Juvia can't have that!_

"Oi! JUUVVIIAAA"

Startled, Juvia exclaims. "W-What!?"

"I FORGOT MY TOWEL"

Putting the pan off the heat, Juvia runs to Gray's bedroom with haste. "I'm coming, my love!"

"O-OI! DON'T SAY THOSE THINGGGSS"

Grabbing a folded towel from his dresser she quickly rounds the corner of his room's door and knocks on the bathroom door quickly. And as Gray would put it - annoyingly. The water was still running, she noted. Her cheeks went hot. _Surely, Gray-sama is not inviting Juvia to join him-right?!_

"It's open! Just come in I'm still in the shower."

Juvia's hand opened the door quietly. Her cheeks red and her mind filling with all the possible scenarios that we implicated. "A-Are you sure about this, Gray-sama?"

Beyond the sound of the running water, Juvia could hear him chuckle. "It's not like I'm asking you to join me, Juvia." Although they both knew she would in a heartbeat if he asked. "Besides, he peaked out from behind the shower curtain. Giving her a very coy, uncharacteristic grin, "It's not like there's something you haven't seen before."

Seeing Gray there, glistening with the water going down his face, that expression in his eyes and his hair looking especially dark while soaked with her element seemed.. her heartbeat seemed to stop altogether. Seeing her shock was amusing for Gray. How was it possible for her to be so comical? She was always so over the top with her emotions, and _that_ was what broke her? Perhaps she never thought he would actually say something like that in real life. In the shower, he grinned to himself. _Maybe breaking Juvia is a good pass time._ That dumb face she makes seemed to put him in a better mood.

For a few weeks, Gray would do small things purposely with the sole intent of making her make that frozen expression. However, this had negative consequences. Gray was sure that she was catching on and every day she seemed to get more and more bold. It was almost two weeks after the bathroom incident when Juvia asked Gray if they could train together. At first, Gray shrugged it off. _We're mages, of course, we should train together,_ he thought. But Juvia's motive, as he came to find, must've been intent on giving him a heart attack.

Juvia was, for the most part, a modest girl. Aside from her boldness whenever she saw him at the hot springs, she tended to cover her body. It seemed, that training would bring out something in her that he wasn't aware of. Or maybe she was just oblivious to her body when it came to a fight.

"You're really not cold?"

Juvia looked at Gray oddly, "Are _you?_ "

His ears perked at the tone of her voice. Was that sass? From the woman who once proclaimed she would eat-sleep-drink "Gray-sama" if she could? Gray shrugged at her words. Her vestige wasn't too different than what she normally would wear. She wore a long sleeve turtleneck and her thigh-high boots, but this-this was different. Instead of her usual long skirt with her teasing slit on the side, she was wearing a short pleated skirt. Which was "easier to train in" supposedly. And by short... He meant this would give Lucy's wardrobe a run for its money. Gray watched as she finished zipping up her boots, the zipper traveled up her long smooth legs, and one of her well-manicured blue fingertips brushed against her pale thigh. He stared, admittedly mesmerized. She stood from the tree stump she was sitting on and adjusted her skirt. Gray noted how long her legs looked with this shorter skirt and how well her guild mark would've looked tucked between her skirt and boot.

With her hair pulled back, she flashes a smile, "Ready, Gray-sama?! Juvia won't go easy on you~"

Chuckling Gray attempts another attack on Juvia, "Is that a promise?"

That's when he knew that she started to catch on, despite her red cheeks and the hazy look in her eyes, she returned "Why of course, Gray-sama!"

Their training would keep going for weeks, and it was something Gray looked forward to. Sure they would go on some small jobs together, but one on one with Juvia would get his blood pumping. The only downside was all the cold showers he would have to take afterward. He had known she was strong, hell they fought as partners plenty. But he also had the sense that she was holding back. Some of the stories he heard about Phantom and the Element Four were impressive. Gajeel would even talk her up at the Guild Hall like a proud older brother telling everyone about all the people his little sister beat up. And it was all well deserved praise.

Most of one on one was sparring. If magic were brought out, the house would surely not be standing. And Juvia was slick. He had no clue when or where she learned how to take down an enemy the way she did. She was faster and ..slippery. Not that she would turn into water or anything, that would be cheating. But Gray just couldn't get ahold of her. He would throw a punch and she would simultaneously block and somehow slip behind him and land a kick. And by the time he turned to face her, she'd land another on his abdomen. All he would see was a blur of blue and her boot. She seemed to dodge his offense moves seamlessly and would use her legs to wrap around him and move fluidly to her next move. She was incredibly easy to lose track of and required his full attention to beat. Today though, he finally got her.

She was taunting him, as usual. Using the fact that he would get distracted by her legs again. During the first session, things went down as usual. With Gray on the ground beating himself up over how he'd been paying too much attention on silly things. This time what got him was that she wrapped her legs against his bare torso(earning unwelcome thoughts about her warm skin) and in a series of fluid movements was able to get his legs up and knock him down while she straddled him.

"Wahh~ Gray-sama doesn't have to go easy on Juvia~" she teased. Squeezing her thighs against him he hissed. At some point during the fight, she discarded her boots, so now her bare smooth legs were against him. He hadn't even known she had taken them off. _That habit better not catch on._ She was incredibly warm and seemed too distracted to notice what part of her was pressed against him. With her face flushed and her breathless voice, Gray found this situation _dangerous._

"Let's go again."

Juvia complied, standing up eagerly and standing opposite of Gray. Unwillingly he looked at her legs once more. In his head, he was cursing them for being such nuisance. He longed for the longer skirt she used to wear. If she were wearing that now he wouldn't be so distracted. Slightly, he feels his right arm sting. Juvia's legs start letting up, he can tell that she's about to come at him once more. At this moment, Gray can only feel her lingering warmth on his briefs. He starts doing the opposite of what he _should_ be doing. Logically, he should be paying attention to her movements and try to anticipate what she's going to do next. And he tries, he does. But when she blocks him once more she angles herself, slides between his legs and gets behind him all he can picture is holding her legs as he dominates her in all the carnal ways nature intended. He doesn't really think as he turns to catch her fist. The stinging on his right wrist is searing now and in a desperate attempt to finish him she tries to kick.

Instead of Gray laying on the ground in defeat, he's pinning her down. Juvia's right hand above her head and her left leg against his hip. And they are in quite the compromising position. Again, he can feel her warmth against his briefs and angles himself for the warmth to spread. "Gray-sama?" He had closed his eyes in slight satisfaction and opens them to look at her. He expected her to be red-faced, or daydreaming, but not scared. His heart felt ten times heavier. He had overstepped, obviously. "S-Sorry" What had he even been doing? Suddenly he felt dizzy and light headed. His arm felt like it had frostbite.

Juvia wasn't looking at him though, she was staring at his right arm, the one that caught her leg. Shock filled him. It was black and as he positioned himself off of her he noted how it had overtaken everything up to his elbow. This was from his demon slayer mark, but he hadn't summoned it... Had he?

Something was wrong with him... Those eyes looking down at her were not the Gray-sama she knew. Juvia sure loved pinning down her Gray-sama and she absolutely loved wrapping her legs against his flesh. But this Gray-sama grabbed her hand stronger than he had before and the hand he used to catch her leg was freezing her down to the bone. She glanced at it and felt her stomach sink. It was black. She recognized the demon-slayer mark that Silver-sama left for him. Something felt wrong though. This wasn't supposed to be happening, Gray-sama wasn't even using Magic for it to have been activated. They weren't fighting with magic after all. Concerned she called out to him. His eyes came back. Thankful that he snapped out of it, she takes her free hand to touch his affected arm.

In her mind, she was hoping it would soothe him and draw the black away, but it seemed to do the opposite effect.

Gray's weight shifted onto Juvia and she quickly realizes he had passed out.

"Gray-sama? EHH?!"

After finally being able to lift Gray off her she managed to get him inside.

The sun was starting to set and the night brought the cold with it. Juvia groaned internally, Gray-sama was comfortable in the cold but surely blizzards weren't fun even for him. Inside she set him down in her bed. It was closest to the front door. Inside she felt a perverted part of her smirk, _Gray-sama will be in Juvia's bed._ She was sure he would not be happy when he woke up, but such things were not important right now.

He was only in briefs. Juvia thought about putting more clothes on him but she could already hear him complaining about how "damn-hot it is." She opted instead to light the fire in the living room's fireplace. His mark had reverted and he seemed normal now. His breathing was steady... He looked peaceful, he had a small smile on his lips.

Juvia felt butterflies in her stomach as she watched him from the edge of the bed. He was absolutely flawless. His body was well built and seemed perfectly sculpted just for her. His dark, wild hair was enticing to her. She wanted to run her hair through it, but she knew she couldn't actually do it. Fantasizing was all she could have, it was always hard to keep herself from imaging all the things that could happen whenever she was around him. She scolded herself for being such a pervert. Her heart felt heavy. She wanted to be with him in more ways than one.

She felt a sudden rush in her chest. Standing up quickly she rushed to the kitchen before she did something foolish and unwelcomed. It was cruel for the universe to taunt her in such a way. She cursed everything as she started to make dinner. Taking out spices and ingredients she hummed to herself, trying to forget about the nearly-naked perfect specimen sent from the Gods in her bed.

Later that night Gray woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar bed. At first, he hadn't minded the nice smell of vanilla and rain, but he quickly realized that his bed didn't smell like this. He sat straight up and looked down at the bed. A sigh of relief escaped him. Juvia wasn't here, nothing happened between them. The unnerving feeling came over him that he hadn't remembered how he got there.

 _Still have_ some _clothes on at least._ He noted about his briefs.

He came out to the living space. The lingering smell told him Juvia had cooked dinner, but where was she? The fire was lit.. and there was a warm plate waiting for him.

Scratching his head he looked around the house. He already knew she wasn't in her room, she wasn't in the kitchen or the living room. He walked down the hall past her room towards his room, expecting her to be asleep on his bed with that dumb dreamy face she always made. He scanned his bed, _not here…_

So that left…

The bathroom.

Heading back towards the living room area he came to a stop in front of the bathroom door. He put his ear against the door, there wasn't any sound. Frowning he thought, _She has to be in there, she wouldn't go out at night…_

Softly he knocked. He had to make sure she was there, and he needed to know exactly what happened. He could hardly remember anything, all he could remember was that they were sparring and she had pinned him down again.

No response. He felt his heartbeat quicken a bit.

He knocked again, slightly louder, "Juvia? You in here?"

 _Shit_

Quickly he opened the door. The light was on and the tub had a bunch of petals and bath related stuff around it, but he didn't see her. Approaching he scratched his head again. Maybe she was sleeping on the couch or something in the living room and he just didn't see her. As he drew closer he saw the edge of the water touching the tub. _Did she start a bath or somethin'?_

He took another step and his breath stopped. In the .3 seconds that he looked into the bath, he was sure that he had memorized everything he saw. He turned around quickly, his face hot and his eyes shut closed. "O-OI! JUVIAA"

In his mind, forever engraved was the overly erotic image of Juvia that he knew he was never going to get out.

Behind him, he heard the water shift as Juvia sat up in shock, and then the sound of her moving again when she realized her breasts were exposed. "AH! I'm s-so sorry, Gray-sama. J-Juvia had d-dozed off!"

He walked out of the bathroom and shut the door a bit too harshly behind him. He found himself back in the living room, gripping the edge of the couch.

That image of Juvia... Beneath the water, lids half opened. Petals covered her more intimate areas but enough was exposed... enough for Gray's imagination. Her eyes had been so dark and dreamy... And her waves floated around her. She looked like a siren. It was going to haunt him in every way possible. He felt himself twitch in his briefs as he tried to compose himself.

Juvia came out of the bathroom in a towel, embarrassed. Gray could see her quickly scurry to her room as he finished his plate in the kitchen. _Tch,_ That towel was too short. This was killing him, he wasn't going to be able to last if things kept up at this pace.

She came out after a little while. Her hair was damp, and she wore a button down long sleeve nightdress that nearly reached her knees. Finally something normal. She fixed herself a plate in the kitchen quickly, her hands shaking slightly. She was nervous. She didn't know how to feel about what had happened earlier. A part of her, the perverted part, was absolutely beaming at the fact that Gray had seen her practically naked as she bathed. But the more responsible part was mortified and kind of scared. She was afraid, maybe he hadn't like what he saw. That sent her into a spiral. Juvia had always struggled with self-image.

She ate quietly, her heart aching with memories of her childhood and adolescence. _Always a Rain Woman..._

Gray watched as she mindlessly moved food around her plate. He could tell something was off again, but he didn't want to push her. Especially after he just walked in on her.

"Hey, so what happened earlier." He chugged down some beer from his bottle.

Juvia's onyx eyes locked eyes with his blue ones in shock. "Gray-sama doesn't remember?"

He chuckled, his ears were already a bit red from the beer, "Did you smack my head against the ground hard or somethin'?"

Juvia's mouth opened, offended. "I would never, Gray-sama!"

Gray's brow raised in teasing doubt. "Dunno, you seem to like smackin' me around."

Juvia giggled softly, "That may be true, darling. But I would never hurt you like that."

Gray smiled slightly, hiding it by taking another drink of his beer. Hopefully, she would think the pink on his cheeks was because of the alcohol and not because he liked the way 'darling' sounded coming out of her mouth.

"Then what happened? And please explain _why_ exactly I was in your bed."

This time, Juvia's cheeks went red. "We were sparring, Gray-sama. And then you won, but your arm.." Her eyes lingered to his right arm, where his Demon Slayer mark was. Memories came flooding back. Specifically about pressing himself in a very intimate way against her. He could feel the heat on his face once more, spreading over his nose now too.

"A-and your bed?"

Juvia noted a slight look of disdain on Gray's face and felt a pang of hurt in her chest. "You passed out. Juvia had to carry you inside... Her bed was closer." She took a bite of food before adding, "You aren't exactly light as a feather, Gray-sama."

Gray sighed. Thank the gods Juvia was too concerned with his health to have realized what exactly he had been trying to do back then. Again he felt his briefs strain against him. This recollection was absolutely not going to help.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, Everyone!**

 **Thanks so much for everyone who read and people that reviewed! I'm posting replies at the end of this chapter, so if you reviewed, look out for your username**

 **This chapter will feature a flashback so get ready!**

 **I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and thanks to everyone who has followed/faved this story :)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

* * *

They had been living together for about two months now when Juvia came back to the house screeching and squealing. She nearly knocked the front door down as she entered in haste. "GRAY-SSAAMMAA! LOOOK! LOOOOOK!"

He had been taking a good nap on the couch. But now, that was over now. Dazed and confused he gave her his look of death. "What the fuck now?"

Juvia was unfazed by his threatening stare and straddled him on the couch. Again? Weren't they passed the straddling?! He had been trying to avoid her doing that. He tried his best to ignore her bodies warmth as she shoved a magazine into his face and squealed.

 **Sorcerer Weekly**

"Okay, great. So they get the Sorcerer Weekly all the way over here. So what?" He groaned, adjusting so he could go back to sleep.

"NO! LOOK!" She opened the magazine, flipping through the pages and stopping at one with a look of excitement. Juvia's blue locks fell on his chest as she peeked around the back of the magazine. Her hair had grown more... She pointed a delicate finger to the author's name below an article on the page. "See, here?! LUCY HEARTFILIA!"

Gray focused his eyes and saw in capital bold letters the name of their comrade.

 **LUCY HEARTFILIA**

"Whoa! Damn, she's fast. What's it been? Two months and she's already writing for Sorcerer Weekly?"

Juvia nodded excitedly and jumped off of Gray, adjusting the magazine in her hands to read Lucy's article.

"Wahh ~ Lucy is such a good writer."

Gray chuckled to himself, " Since when are you happy to hear about Lucy?" In his mind, he recalled most of the moments he had been around the two. It was usually 'Love-Rival' this and 'back-off of Gray-sama' that. "I thought you didn't like her much."

Suddenly, a pillow from the couch made contact with his face rather harshly. "O-OI!"

"How dare you?! Lucy is Juvia's best friend!" She huffed, holding the magazine tightly to her chest.

"Ohh? " Gray's eyebrow cocked up.

Juvia looked at Gray's smug expression. She could feel her cheeks get pink. It was the first time she had proclaimed her feelings over her blond hair companion. Even after they had performed a Unison Raid together and Juvia now felt comfortable addressing her casually as Lucy and not 'Lucy-san' as she had initially, she was pretty shy to admit they had a connection. Gray had a small, teasing smile as he stood up. He knew she had trouble making friends. Gajeel had seemed to had been her one exception. But Lucy? They were pretty different people. In his mind, Lucy and Juvia lived in two different planes of existence.

"When did that happen?" He said, heading to the kitchen for a snack. Juvia did not appreciate his tone. He was talking to her as if she was his child who just made a new friend at school. All of a sudden she felt shy.

"Lucy's always been nice." She mumbled, nearly inaudible.

"Huh? What was that?" Gray sat down at the small, round table with a bag of chips. In the center were some blue flowers Juvia had picked and placed in a vase. Juvia huffed, he was teasing her again.

"Lucy has always been nice." She responded louder, more resolute. She sat down across from him, stealing a chip from his bag.

Gray smiled wide, "I'm glad you two are friends."

Juvia groaned softly and rolled her eyes. He was never going to let her live this down.

* * *

 _Flashback_

Juvia loved the way being in Fairy Tail made her feel. It was loud, bursting of color and filled with warmth. The complete opposite of Phantom. Everything in her life had changed. She still couldn't believe it. Somehow when her eyes fell on Gray that very first time they met, everything changed. She had felt it within herself. Hell, even the heavens had shown themselves to her for the very first time. That shade of blue that the sky was... It would forever be her favorite. Juvia had always liked the color blue, but now... She would wear it like a badge of honor.

As Juvia walked towards the bar she was disappointed to see that Gray was nowhere to be seen. Sensing her worry, Mira spoke up as she cleaned a glass, "He's out on a mission right now with Natsu." Mira smiled sweetly to her and Juvia smiled back shyly.

Lucy was sitting at the bar, writing in her notebook. She too gave a knowing smile and looked over at Juvia, "Those two idiots are probably choking each other out right about now."

Juvia giggled a bit and sat, asking Mira for a coffee. Lucy closed her notebook and turned her whole body to face Juvia beside her, her blond hair falling over her shoulder. "How are you feeling? Are you as weirded out as I am about this whole thing?" Lucy's chocolate brown eyes turned to face the rest of the Guild, they were celebrating the recent victory at the Grand Magic Games. But Juvia knew what Lucy was referring to. Seven years were lost to them, and some of the other members looked much older now. They had changed and grown so much. "Yes... it's still very odd to Juvia."

Sitting beside Lucy also felt very odd to Juvia. She didn't really know how to separate all of her mixed up emotions inside of her. One part of her wanted to run away and cry at the thought of her and Gray having anything to do with one another. He had fought rather passionately for her when they had first met, after all. And he was always saying flirty things to her. But another part - the reasonable part, she argued, was grateful that she was keeping her company. It was the part that performed a Unison Raid with her and knew that inside they were similar. Lately, they hadn't been very close and rarely got to actually talk to one another… things had been so hectic.

The guild's girls were nice but Juvia was still reserved. There was still a little fear in her that maybe they all secretly disliked her because of her days in Phantom. She was afraid that in the eyes of everyone she would always be that jinxed rain woman. Discreetly, she looked over to where Gajeel was. He was leaning on a wall, towering over Levy who was blushing and laughing at something he'd said. Was Gajeel afraid of that, too?

Lucy woke her from her daze. "I know!", the blond exclaimed. Juvia looked over at her, "While those brutes are away we should go to the hot springs!" She brought her hands up, excited.

Cana, who was drinking beside them, chimed in. "Now that's something I can get behind!"

Pretty soon, Mira and most of the girls had joined in and by the time the sun was starting to set and the sky had turned red, Erza burst into the Guild. "Alright girls, ready to get wet?!" Clearly, she had heard of the plans.

The girls around the bar got deadly quiet. Juvia was silent as well, thinking of Erza's choice of words and how easily someone perverted coul- "Hell yea" Cana said, with a wanting sound in her voice.

Juvia's cheeks went red, and she was the first to burst out into a fit of giggles. A roar of laughter followed, everyone picked up on Cana's perverted answer and their laughter filled Juvia with warmth. Wiping a tear from her eye she clutched onto her hurting ribs. This really is the best guild.

The rowdy group had made its way to the hot springs on the northern part of Magnolia. All of the girls weren't really shy of their bodies. Juvia had known that for a while, the clothes most of them wore didn't cover much and Juvia had been to hot springs with them before. They were all so beautiful and confident.. Her heart ached a bit. Everyone was pretty much already in the water already. Juvia was still debating whether to come out in a towel or just run out nude like everyone else. Her stomach churned with the idea of them seeing her. Towel it was, then. She was tucking it under her arm when she heard Cana, "Oi! Juviaaa~ What's taking so long?!" She heard some other girls call for her to come out. Reluctantly, she walked out with her towel wrapped around her. Cana made a sound of disappointment. "What is that, Juvia?!" She motioned towards the towel. Juvia began stammering, not knowing what to say. Lucy splashed some water on Cana, "C'mon, leave her alone! Get in Juvia!"

Cana giggled a bit, "There's nothing to hide, it's just us girls~"

Erza laughed a bit too as Juvia caved, removing her towel and rushing to get under the water. "I bet if Gray was here she wouldn't be so shy."

Juvia huffed, "That's different!"

Levy giggled at her affectionately, "Isn't it usually the other way around?"

Most of the girls laughed. Admittedly they were right, "B-But... Somehow being like that with Gray-sama seems so natural."

Erza's face turned the same shade of her hair. Juvia looked around, everyone's faces were red and steaming. They were all stammering. "S-such a proclamation!" It was Juvia's turn to laugh now.

They had fun for a while, relaxing in the warm water. Juvia felt amazing. The water's warmth was soothing and just being in the water was revitalizing her. Cana brought out some sake and together everyone was laughing and drinking. Juvia didn't drink too much, though. There was a lot on her mind tonight. She sat against the rock behind her and looked up at the stars. The night sky was a deep blue, nearly black and was adorned with a shower of twinkling diamonds. Back then... At the games... At the battle... Gray was going to say something. It bothered her. The expression he had, and the timing of all things. Who comes up to someone during a battle and says "I need to tell you something."? He had tried to assure her right after that it wasn't anything serious... But Juvia was still fixated on the way he looked when he said it. So serious and determined...his eyes smoldering. Her heart ached to know what he was going to say. What he was going to say before he die-... No, she stopped herself, shaking her head a bit. No, he didn't die...

"Oi! Juvia you look so dreamy ~" a drunk Mira pointed out. At the sound of her, Juvia looked back towards all the girls. They were all staring at her. Even Levy, who was notorious for laughing at people when she was drunk, had a funny look on her face. Lucy smiled at her too, "You look like a mermaid, Juvia." Juvia's cheeks quickly reddened. She was vaguely aware of how the water had affected her hair, making it wavier than usual and cascading around her shoulders. They were all dunk, so Juvia felt a little safe saying exactly what she felt. "Juvia doesn't feel very pretty..", thinking of all the small times Gray was weirded out by her. Suddenly Cana was behind her, holding up Juvia's breasts up, "With these bad boys?! Of course you are!" Juvia splashed Cana away. "Don't get touchy with Juvia!" Ignoring her comment, the girls all got close around her, cuddling up with her. She could hear a mix of comments the girls were saying as they pressed against her, "But Juvia you're sooo pretttyy~" "Merrmmaaiiiiid" "Gray will come around~". With the warmth of her friends around her, she felt safe. Somehow right now... She felt like the luckiest girl in the whole world. Warmth spread through her chest, she couldn't help but smile. There, beneath the stars, she hugged them back, "You guys... You're really the best.."

A little while had passed and most of the girls had decided to stay at the small resort for the night. Mostly everyone had gone inside to go to sleep, it was getting pretty late. Even Juvia was sleepy and starting to doze off. Before turning to pull herself out, Erza's voice stopped her. "Say, Juvia?" Juvia stopped. Erza had been drinking too, but she had gotten past her demanding drunk personality. Right now, she sounded almost sober. Juvia turned to look at her, but Erza was gazing up at the stars. Her scarlet red hair cascaded down her shoulders and floated around her in the water, her vibrant red hair intertwined with Lucy's golden hair as they sat side by side. Together they were gazing up, but Juvia could tell they were in two separate worlds. Smiling to herself, she decided to look up, too. Erza's voice broke the calm noises of the night. Against the sound of the summer's cicadas, it floated, "How is it that you speak so freely about... Your feelings?"

Juvia smiled to herself. She could see in her peripheral that Lucy had glanced her way. Lucy had also wondered that herself. Despite how Juvia's attitude was when they had first met, she had become someone who everyone knew to be an open about her emotions. Everyone knew that Juvia loved the guild and loved the people in it, especially Gray. Lucy found it fitting… that Juvia was so head over heels for him. In her opinion, Gray needed someone like Juvia. He had always been so hurt by the memories of his past, that having someone like Juvia, someone who would shower him with love and warmth, seemed like a perfect fit.

Juvia kept her eyes fixed on the stars. The clear night sky... It was also new to her. It was breathtaking. Those lights, twinkling and winking at her… promising the entire universe. Those little diamonds knew so much.

"When Juvia was little… she was alone.", she began. Erza glanced at her with a bit of shock, suddenly she was feeling a sort of newfound kinship with her as he chest tickled with the pain of her own past.

"Juvia didn't have a family... Nothing to really call her own or anything like that... And it was always..always raining." Lucy closed her eyes, imaging a small Juvia. Small and alone, with a rain cloud over her. She thought about the Juvia she had first met. The one that held her in a water lock with cold, empty eyes. That didn't seem like Juvia at all... The Juvia that Lucy knew was passionate about her friends(and Gray, of course). She was fun and lively.

Lucy moved closer to Juvia, feeling this may be hard for her to tell, and Erza followed. Each one beside her, all gazing at the night sky in the warmth and safety of the hot spring. "That is why she is named Juvia. When they found her on the doorstep of the orphanage, it was raining." She paused, pursing her lips as she remembered her childhood. " The kids there were mean, they didn't like Juvia because it was always raining around her. No matter how many teru teru bozus I made it never stopped." Lucy felt Juvia's voice rushing and her ears perked at the sound of her using the word "I".

"She would always hear them talking about her like she wasn't there.. 'Juvia always makes it gloomy' or 'It's no fun if Juvia comes.'" Suddenly Lucy's eyes went wide. As she watched the constellations twinkle, realization hit her. She had always thought it was a formality, but now she felt like she got it. Juvia was always speaking in the third person... She had always been listening to people talk about her, she probably never even got asked to speak about herself. Maybe, in the mind of a small child, she had assumed that she was to refer to herself... the same way as when they spoke about her... She never got used to using the word "I".

"Juvia never felt like she belonged. Not at the orphanage or at Phantom. There was a time when Juvia was little... When she discovered she had an uncle. And she thought that finally, she'd have someone... But not even he wanted anything to do with Juvia." Lucy rubbed Juvia's arm, comforting her. Feeling herself go off track she quickly went back to the point.

"When Juvia met Gray-sama.. and saw the clear sky for the very first time... It was like things had finally fallen into place. Juvia was where she belonged!" Juvia looked and smiled to both Lucy and Erza.

Looking directly into Erza's eyes she spoke, "Juvia had lived her whole life, watching things happen. Feeling and not saying. And when I saw the sky that day… I-I decided that I was going to hold on to my happiness! That when I decided that if I felt that something, especially if it made me happy, I would say it!"

Her emotions settle a bit. A little more quietly she added, "Juvia will live for those who she cares for.. Erza-san should hold on to her happiness as well!"

Erza's cheeks went pink. Juvia hoped her feelings came through. She cared about these girls, so terribly much that she felt that her words could never be enough. They taught her so many things about friendship and happiness. Joining Fairy Tail was the best thing that happened to her. With uncharacteristic shyness, Erza excused herself and went to bed.

Lucy stayed beside Juvia, both of them still gazing at the sky in the security and warmth of the water. Lucy giggled. "I should get out soon, I'm going to look like a raisin."

Juvia laughed softly too at the image of it and continued looking up. "You don't have that problem, though. Do you, Juvia?" Juvia shook her head no. " With Juvia's water body, things like that don't happen. Juvia can't drown either." She said with the flash of a smile.

"Woooww, isn't that strange?"

Juvia looked over at Lucy. She really was beautiful. A pang of hurt touched her chest briefly, it was no wonder that Gray would flirt with her. Her blond hair was wet, and floated around her, as she brought her knees to her chest. Beneath the moonlight, she looked like she was glowing.

Juvia thought momentarily at how odd it was that Lucy was looking at the stars... When she too looked just like one of them. Lucy brought a pink colored fingernail to her lips, "I've never really heard of a lot of mages having that ability."

Juvia pursed her lips, "What does Lucy-san mean?"

Lucy laughed, she was still a little bit drunk. Bringing her hands behind her head, not really caring to expose her breasts, she continued, "Well, it's just that a mage like Gray for example. He uses Ice magic, but it's not like his body can transform into Ice. Or even Natsu! He uses fire but he can't turn into fire itself.." Lucy had a thoughtful expression… "Or maybe with the ice thing.." She thought about Gray's teacher Ur and Iced Shell. She had become ice, hadn't she?

"Well, I'm not sure about Gray-sama.. but Natsu-san isn't just a fire mage. He's a Dragon Slayer. Maybe he can turn into a dragon..?" Lucy looked at Juvia, and together they both laughed. Natsu? A dragon? Lucy thought it sounded familiar to her, but she was so tired and she had too much sake. It was waaay too late, they should really be asleep. Now everything was starting to seem funny. Juvia laughed softly again, "Or maybe, who knows, Lucy-san might turn into a star one day, too!"

Lucy's cheeks turned pink as she giggled. Turn into a star? That sounded like a good idea, actually.

Lucy and Juvia met eyes once more, she smiled at Juvia. "But you... You're like the very essence of water. I don't know, Juvia. I think… you're special."

* * *

That night marked the beginning of what became a deep and important friendship to Juvia. It marked the beginning of what was surely a star-crossed friendship. Beneath those constellations, she felt close to Lucy. Not just to her, but to all the girls of the guild. They were all so supportive and only had her happiness in mind. And that's what she wanted to give them, too: happiness.

Juvia stayed quiet, remembering that night. Gray looked over at her sideways, "You're finishing all my damn chips, get your own!"

Juvia's dark eyes met his, annoyed. "Hey, Juvia bought the chips after all, Gray-sama." Gray smirked at the look on her face. He never thought she'd be annoyed at him. That's another new expression he would have to remember.

Juvia noted the sky darkening, "How about I start making actual food, Gray-sama." She sassed, getting up to get ingredients out.

"Hmm... only if it's that beef thing you made the other day."

His ears felt warm at the sound of her laughter. "Alright, alright." She said softly.

After, to his satisfaction, Juvia cooked the meal he requested. He ate every last bite and made his way to lay back on the couch. He had lit the fire earlier while Juvia was cooking and now he was rubbing his stomach in front of it.

"I ate way too much." He groaned.

"Why did you let me do it?" He added, accusingly.

Juvia observed Gray, who was spooling his body on the couch. He was too long for it though, she could see his head hanging off of one of the armrest and his legs hanging off the other end. His dark wild hair was starting to grow out. It was hanging a bit too low, she could tell it bothered him, he kept moving it away.

Juvia pulled out the secret deliciousness she had put in the oven when they started eating their dinner. It was warm and freshly baked. Most importantly, it was chocolate. "So, it's safe to say Gray-sama doesn't have room for dessert?"

Gray stayed silent for a second. She looked over, and his dark eyes were shooting daggers at her.

"That's not what I said."

Juvia giggled softly, "Well let's hope by the time it cools, Gray-sama will have more room in his stomach."

"I can guarantee I will." He huffed, getting himself comfortable and letting his stomach digest. He was vaguely aware of the sounds Juvia made. She came around the couch and sat on the ground, with her back against the cushion. At first, he didn't mind it. After all, it was pretty normal for them. She sat in front of the fire, her legs sprawled out to get warm with her new issue of Sorcerer Weekly. But as he idly gazed at her he became aware of the fact that the top buttons of her nightdress were undone. He had a perfect view of what was probably one of the most divine creations in the world.

Trying to ignore his recent revelation, he closes his eyes and puts his hands behind his head. There has to be something else to think about besides-

"Wow~ It feels like forever since Juvia has seen Magnolia.."

Gray chuckled at her sad voice, "Yeah, it's been a while."

He could feel the cushion of the couch shift as Juvia turned to look at him. "Does Gray-sama miss Natsu-san?"

"Pft, that idiot?", Gray scoffed. Admittedly, he did sort of miss punching that dumbass. But that was for him to know.

He felt Juvia shift back towards the direction of the fire. He could tell there was a lot on her mind, she wasn't usually this quiet.

"Juvia misses the guild," she started, "All of the noise and seeing everyone.."

"Yeah, this situation sucks."

There was a small moment of silence and Gray could immediately tell she mistook his words in her usual Juvia way, "Does Gray-sama not like having Juvia around?" She cried.

Irritation brought him to snap open his eyes. " That's not what I was talking about, dammi-"

The sight of her stops him dead in his tracks. His groin was not happy with him. Her small delicate fingers were around one of the few buttons that was not undone on her nightdress and she was gazing at him with that familiar emotional expression she would often use when she was very drunk. Which was a very weird combination that he didn't know how to feel about.

"O-Oi! What're you doin'?!"

Juvia stopped suddenly and looked down, realization suddenly hit her and her cheeks went red. When had she started stripping? Instinctively, she pulled the sides of her shirt back together. Another part of her was irritated with herself for doing that. Maybe she had taken the whole thing off. Juvia quickly stopped herself from fantasizing about what could've happened. She looked down at her state and back up at Gray who was no longer laying down but sitting up straight with a cushion over his lap. Probably some countermeasure to make sure she couldn't assault him, she thought.

Quickly, she turns away from him, towards the fire. With lightning speed, her fingers work to button up her shirt. Inside she felt a pang of hurt. Gray was around girls that were practically naked all the time…

"I'm sorry, G- Gray-sama. Juvia isn't sure why she did that. Maybe the fire was too hot.. And ..?"

Gray felt more and more irritated as she continued to apologize. His body was being very demanding and his right arm was stinging. "Well, why don't you put some more fucking clothes on!"

That was it. Juvia's green monster was going to come out and it was going to make a damn good show. "You know what, Gray-sama? You're naked all the time!" Gray's eyebrow rose, both shocked and annoyed at her tone, " And you never complain when Lucy or Erza-san are naked around you!"

"That's different!" he snapped.

"Oh, it's different? Wow! I never noticed. Lucy's chest, fine! But Juvia's - Nooooooo!" She brought her arms up in irritation as she got louder and more sarcastic.

Instead of being near her knees, her nightdress rose. The sides, which were already shorter, were brought up way higher and he could now see the very thin black strap on her hip of her underwear. After a while, he started to faze out Juvia scolding him or being jealous or whatever it was that she was yelling about. Instead, he was fixated on her legs again and how the fire behind her sort of made her nightdress more transparent as she paced back in forth going on and on. Thanks to that he had a pretty good idea of the curves underneath it. With every step she took, her breasts would jiggle slightly and her supple hips were visible. His underwear strained again and he reacted by clutching his pillow again. His arm was stinging again, hard. It's happening again, he thought.

Juvia's jealousy and angered died at her sight of her Gray-sama. He had that look in his eyes again, and the pillow that he had in his lap was hardening with ice and again like before, his arm was turning black.

"Gray-sama? Are you alright?!" Putting the back of her hand to his head, she felt for a fever. He seemed unfazed and his eyes were still far away. Juvia remembered the last time this happened, and how he had passed out after. Putting her hands under his arm, she tried her best to get him to stand while he was still conscious, "Let's get you to bed, Gray-sama."

He groaned, sounding irritated against her as he leaned on her for support. Juvia was able to get him to his room with a lot more ease this time around. Helping him lay down she began to apologize once more. "Juvia is sorry... About yelling earlier.."

Gray only reacted with a sound of acknowledgment. Juvia sat at the foot of the bed and glanced at him, feeling guilty. He was breathing deep and a little shaky, but he seemed to be himself now. His arm was back to normal now too, thankfully. They really did need to figure out more about his mark. Juvia started to get the sinking feeling that she was being annoying. She got up to leave, silently. Hoping to leave without making him stir. Once she reached the door, she was abruptly stopped at the sound of his voice, deep and a little rumbly with tiredness.

"Juvia…"

She glanced over her shoulder, "Can you bring me some brownies?"

* * *

 **Have you guys been keeping up with Fairy Tail: 100-year quest? I have a couple theories about my baby Juvia and this "Touka bitch" (as most people refer to her online 😂). Idk. Something tells me our Juvia might have a special role to play. It's about time if you ask me.**

 **glodenglowingsnowdemon: Thank you! ︎ **

**juviaesthetic: Thanks! I went ahead and corrected myself in the first chapter :) And I do have a tumblr where I post some doodles and manga caps I color. My username there is hoshi-owl**

 **Guest #1: Thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it **

**Star197: I love their relationship!✨**

 **blueberrrykisses: Will do! Thank you for reading! **

**Guest #2: I know! It's super annoying and I was actually planning on addressing that in the story. It was super annoying to me that we never even got to see Gray actually apologize and how it never really seemed to cause much turmoil that he just kinda left without a word. Seeing her in that bed, crying because she didn't want to leave the place where they made memories together made my heart ache. I wish we got to see more development. And also! The anime seems to really make Gray much colder to Juvia. In the manga, he seems a lot more close to her. They change the things he says to where they kind of are similar to what Mashima puts in the manga but it's catered to be more comical, but I feel like it ends up diminishing a lot of what Gray feels because I feel like he's the type of person where the specific things he says matters. Anyway... Thank you so much for reading and enjoying this. It means the world to me! **

**Ikhny Shy: Thank you! And here you go ~**

 **BakonoftheUnknown: He certainly is 😁**

 **Guest #3: Thanks for reading! I love thinking about the time they spent together and all the possibilities :)**

 **: THANKS! 💖**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! ✨**

 **Happy Holidays to you all! 💫 I hope you guys are having a nice winter break/holiday season. Here is another chapter for you all.**

 **As I did before, I will post replies to the previous chapter's comments at the end.**

 **Enjoy! Reviews are welcome and thank you to everyone who have faved/followed this story! It makes me so happy every time I see that more and more people like this!**

 **(I do not own Fairy Tail)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Juvia felt very guilty over the incident. She let her jealousy and anger get out of hand again. She felt within every fiber of her being that she wanted to make Gray happy in every possible way that she could. But sometimes... when the man you love doesn't seem at all interested to see your breasts you can get a _bit_ peeved off.

It wasn't just that he didn't seem to be interested in her, but some of what she said last night in her jealous rage was true. Sometimes Gray would make flirty jokes with Lucy or be naked together with Erza or any other of the guild's women for that matter and it hurt. Lucy had assured her many times that it wasn't "like that" but sometimes it did feel "like that" and it drove Juvia crazy inside. Crazy because she always felt the need to make Gray happy and because she wanted to be close to him in a romantic sense. But maybe… maybe he just didn't like her _that_ way and she should just accept it.

Maybe she could try to make Gray happy... but as a friend. She wanted to bring him the same happiness he brought her, but honestly, it was starting to become painful. She felt like she was giving and giving and giving and she wasn't getting anything in return. That part of her brain, the reasonable level-headed part, told her that that wasn't was love was about. It wasn't about thinking about what you get in return, it's about trying to make the other happy and giving them what _they_ need. But the other part of her told her that it was normal to feel tired. That she was only a mage after all, not something celestial.

Things had settled down into a normal routine between her and Gray. They didn't do as much hand-to-hand combat as before, they had found a clearing outside of the small abandoned village they stayed at and used it to train their magic. It was far enough away from the home they were at and the neighboring village where they would resupply, so no one would get hurt and no buildings were going to collapse.

Gray had started to use more and more of what was his father's magic. His mark was a well defined deep black. So far, it hadn't spread as it had before, to Juvia's relief. And now he was managing to freeze larger areas very quickly. Pretty soon, Juvia was sure he would be just about able to snap his fingers and freeze everything within their radius. His new ability was a demonstration of power that was very arousing to her. The snow was pretty much all gone now, and the leaves on the trees were starting to come out, casting the tops of them a saturated green.

Things were pretty normal. During the day, she would go to the neighboring village and do little jobs. Nothing major. The people of that village were mostly using Juvia as a plumber. Getting her to fix fountains or asking her to increase the water pressure in pipes to get clogs out. Gray would also go to the village or sometimes to one a bit farther away and find his own small jobs to do. Occasionally when it required a trip and he needed help he would ask if she was interested, and of course, she always was. It wasn't very long after the _incident_ (as Juvia dubbed it), that she went into the village to resupply on food when the shopkeeper handed her a piece of paper. It was a job request that called for someone who was specialized in water or ice magic. Juvia scanned the paper as the nice older woman spoke to her, "This came in, dear. I think it'd be very suitable for you and that young man." She added a wink at the end making Juvia blush.

Juvia read scanned the request quickly, it called for a mage or mages that would be able to bring in the "notorious Fire-Snake brothers". Juvia pondered for a moment while the lady handed her the supplies she bought. Where had she heard that name before? _They sound familiar..._ Idly her eyes dropped to the reward at the bottom and she nearly froze as she exited the little shop. She rubbed her eyes. Had she read that right? In her irises, she felt Jewel signs appear.

 **REWARD** **5,000,000** **JEWELS**

Juvia raced home to deliver the news to Gray. He would surely want to come with her right? That was _a lot_ of money. So much money that Juvia would have more than enough to get back to Magnolia and get herself a new apartment. Her stomach churned, she didn't like the idea of being far from Gray for an undetermined amount of time. She made her way through the surrounding forest that protected the small abandoned village where she and Gray had started making their memories together. Her pace had started to get significantly slower. The sooner she got there the sooner she would tell him and the sooner the job would get done and she would have to head back to Magnolia. It's not like she could lie and tell him she didn't have enough money. The reward itself was more than enough, and with what she'd been saving…

She made her way through the terrain and got back to the house thinking about how much she was going to miss Gray when she inevitably left. He wasn't back yet, she noted as she entered. It was always obvious when Gray was back because he always left his boots by the door and his clothes everywhere.

Oh well, she would just have to wait.

She hadn't been gone much of the day at all. Just the morning when she went to go run the errands in town. It was barely early afternoon so she made herself busy as she waited for him. She tried, with little success, to not spend the whole day fantasizing about Gray or think about that strong jawline or that amazingly defined back of his. _Nope_ , she thought, _I won't think about him at all..!_

Which was, of course, a complete and utter failure. There was not a second in the day when she could erase him from her mind. Not when she went outside to train by herself, not when she realized that at some point she had removed her top, and certainly not when she went inside to take bath! By the time she was finished not thinking about him, she decided she would continue to not think about him as she tidied things around the house. He was starting to take longer than usual. The sun was starting to set already. _Not that I'm thinking about him or anything,_ she reminded herself, thinking about his smoldering eyes.

Juvia glanced over at the job request sheet she had left on the roundtable as she swept the floor. Letting out a huff, she went back to work. Cleaning served itself as a good distraction. She managed to clean the floors and wash all the dishes as well as their clothes, she even made dinner.

She had also inadvertently managed to tire herself out.

Getting some rest on the couch she glanced at the clock through her thick lashes that were starting to droop more and more. It was late, and now her tired mind didn't mind thinking about him. She couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. Usually, at this time he'd be eating dinner and then heading off to bed after rejecting the idea that she would often pose about them sleeping in the same bed. In the winter she had argued it was for warmth. She pursed her lips in thought, now what excuse could she make up?

She tried her best to ease her own mind. Juvia will eat when he gets here, he probably just had a longer job... That's all.

By the time Juvia woke up, the sun had risen and she had a blanket on top of her. _When did I..?_ She was questioning the origins of the blanket when she felt it's soft texture brush smoothly against her cold breasts. She felt a chill and quickly realized she had at some point discarded her nightdress. Shocked, she sat up straight, clutching the blanket close to her chest.

"It's 'bout damn time you woke up."

Juvia's blue waves flew as her head spun to look at Gray at the kitchen table. She wasn't sure how long he'd been there... Or if he even knew about her...situation under the covers. She wiggled a bit in excitement to see him. He almost never wore a shirt in the house, and the sight of him always made her squeeze her thighs together. At least now she knew she still had underwear on.

"Gray-sama, you didn't come back last night." She said softly. Her head still felt fuzzy from her dreams. Yawning, she rubbed her sleepy eye with one hand, the other clutching the blanket close. Avoiding another situation like "the incident".

He froze as he ate what she had made for dinner the night before. "Uh, yea… sorry about that." He felt a pang of guilt. Looking back at her he noticed her sleepy head moving around. No doubt, she was looking for her discarded nightdress. She nearly gave her a heart attack when he got back a little while ago, before dawn.

When he walked through the door all he could think of was getting to his bed. He hadn't gotten to rest at all from visiting that old lady and he had no idea what he was walking into. He came in quietly, trying not to make too much noise so Juvia wouldn't wake up and drown him in a sea of tears.

 _I just need to get to bed_ , he had thought. And he froze at the sight he had when he turned back from beside the front door, where he had hung his coat. Damn Juvia was always nagging him to put his jacket there. And now… here she was, laying on the couch with her nightdress thrown on the ground.

Her breathing was steady and slow. Gray's eyes couldn't help but follow the rise and fall of her creamy skin. She was still so pale... Even after being in the sun. He really tried to not look. That's what he told himself anyway. He tried not to notice her soft pink nipples hardening with the unwilling cold he was starting to emit. Her sizeable chest lead to the curves of her wide hips and he felt relief to see she was still wearing her underwear. Although… they were a dark blue lace and in all actuality wasn't helping his situation at all. His heart pounded as he felt his arm sting once more, feeling the urge to push himself against her as he had before. His mind recalled the earlier conversation he had with the crude Porlyusica, " _I'm not exactly sure about this mark of yours… but, have you been having a lot of sinful thoughts lately?"_

Quickly, he turned himself away. He looked down at his arm, noting it's darkening. He had found a blanket fairly easily, Juvia had a fondness for buying them from a little shop in town. Trying not to look at her, he draped it over her, but his eyes still found its way to her erect nipples making ridges beneath the blanket.

He had to leave and take care of his newfound problem. It seemed now that seeing her in that state had taken away his drowsiness.

"Oi, there's still plenty of food left. Did you not eat or somethin'?"

Juvia hopped up from the ground, where she had seen her nightdress, now back on her body. _I must've taken it off because I got hot again…_

Gray noticed her confused gaze as she made her way to the kitchen. She was still a little fuzzy. It was dawning on Gray that this was his fault. Somehow she had gotten his stripping habit. Maybe it _really_ was contagious.

"Ah.. no, Juvia didn't." She answered, delayed with morning tiredness... "She was waiting for your return, Gray-sama. So," she paused to yawn, "We could eat together.,"

Gray resisted the urge to yawn too and felt guilt rise in his belly once more. "Listen, Juvia." Juvia sat across from him, with her own plate of food. She looked at him attentively, more awake than before. "If I'm not back by our normal dinner time, you go ahead and eat." Juvia looked at him with confusion.

"Is Gray-sama planning on staying out later than usual?" She started, and then escalated within the blink of an eye, "Who is she?!" Assuming a love-rival was in the midst, taking up all of her Gray-sama's valuable time.

"Will you quit it? It's nothing like that. I just had a normal job, nothing serious. I just took longer than usual." He lied. He didn't want her to worry, he knew how she could get when she worried about him. She probably wouldn't think of anything else. And simple things like remembering to eat would fall through the cracks.

Juvia was quiet as she munched on the dinner she had made, which was now technically breakfast. "Look.. just remember to eat, okay? You've gotta take care of yourself, too."

"Yea, yea.." She said, half listening. Gray was slightly annoyed. He felt that somehow their roles were reversed.

He scowled as she continued eating, not paying him much attention. He picked up the piece of paper he had read earlier that was on the table. "And what's this about?"

Juvia's eyes lit up, " It's a job request that shopkeeper in town gave to Juvia! Would Gray-sama like to help?" She added, pleading eyes at the end. She didn't have to beg, that was a shit ton of money.

"Hell yeah." He agreed, getting up to put his dish away. "These assholes must be tough if they have such a high bounty."

Juvia hummed, agreeing with him. "Juvia thinks she's heard of them before…" She held her fingertip to her mouth as she thought. A habit Gray was becoming fond of.

Gray was looking through the fridge again even though he just finished eating. Juvia noticed him yawning, and the dark circles that had gathered beneath his eyes. Her heart fluttered with worry. He was starting to talk again, saying something about training as Juvia rushed to look at his face.

Gray had paused what he was saying, Juvia was staring at him intently. Her nose inches away from his. Gray pulled back his face, straining against her going on her tippy toes. "What now?" He huffed, annoyed.

"Did Gray-sama sleep?" She went back to her normal distance from him.

Gray thought about lying, but after eating, his drowsiness was starting to come back. "N-Not really."

"No training until you get some sleep, Gray-sama!" She puffed her cheeks, "And you tell Juvia to take care of herself." She added.

She rushed him to his room. Drawing the curtains so he could rest peacefully. "Gray-sama is never up at this hour." She said a bit angrily. Gray took off his shoes and laid down on his bed listening to Juvia go on and on about how he was being negligent with his body. Placing his hands behind his head he closed his eyes. He was already starting to doze off by the time she finished ranting. He could feel her eyes on him, he was vaguely aware of his lack of clothes. He was way too tired to do anything about it though, and as he said before, it wasn't like there was something she hadn't seen before.

Juvia gazed at Gray as he begun dozing off. She looked at him once more before closing the door behind her. He was still wearing his briefs and his room was dark now but she could still make out every inch of him. She scolded herself for being such a pervert but she couldn't help it. There was something so sculpted about him that evoked every desire in her. The way his dark brows would furrow and his hair hung on his face was one thing, but the definition of his chest and his abdomen was enough to send her to a straight fantasy. The scar on his abdomen also accentuated the definition of his muscles, and led her eyes to the one place she imagined would _really_ tire her out. And if he turned around, the landscape of his broad back would surely stop her heart.

 _He's almost_ too _perfect,_ she thought, suspiciously.

Juvia intended to clean up some but remembered she had actually spent most of the day before cleaning and there was really no need to do anything. She ended up falling asleep in her bed, too. She actually rarely got up so early in the morning. She woke up again when it was noon and made herself busy reading until Gray woke up again a couple of hours later. She could tell he was still a bit tired, but it would have to do.

They would spend the rest of the day training.

Gray was really pushing Juvia today. Like he had said before, the bounty on these guys was high, and it was high for a reason. So today, he was not going to hold back. And it turned out she wasn't going to hold back either. They had moved to the usual clearing they were using for training and were using both hand-to-hand combat and their magical abilities.

"We're going to have to get creative." Gray had said. He never imagined she would get _this_ creative. He scratched his head, trying to place her within the mist.

"Oi, Juvia... I think maybe-" he was interrupted by the blur of blue and the boot that followed, he caught her leg in time, but in his hand, she vanished and became one with the vapor.

"Alright, fine!" he scoffed.

He let his Demon Slayer mark appear.

"That's cheating, Gray-sama~" he heard her echoey voice all around him. The mist surrounded him and he could swear he felt her hands wrapping around him as the mist enveloped him.

"To hell it is. You get to use your water body, I get to use my mark." He snapped.

He could hear her soft giggle surround him. _Yeah, she won't be laughing for much longer_ , he thought. The cold surged through his arm and as he extended it, he watched the surrounding water mist freeze on the spot, crystallizing the small water particles in the air. Juvia must've anticipated him. Instead of freezing in the surrounding vapor, she was behind him already. Gray turned in time to catch her fist, using his right arm to freeze her hand. He could tell she was trying to turn to liquid but his Demon Slayer ice magic was keeping her from escaping, there was no way she was breaking through that sub-zero ice. Thankfully, she was still able to be immune to his physical attacks, she dodged every fist he threw at her with his free arm.

"No fair, Gray-sama," she huffed between punches that only met air.

"No fair is right," he said back. Her water body was pretty much impervious to his physical attacks. At this point, to win he could just freeze her with his new ice.

He let the ice he used on her hand retract, sighing. "You've gotta find a way to fight back, Juvia."

Juvia rubbed her wrist, looking down at the green grass beneath her toes. Her blue eyebrows furrowed in frustration, "It's too hard when Gray-sama is using his mark.."

Gray stepped back from her, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You're just gonna have to figure something out. If you're pinned down in a fight you need to find an escape. An enemy isn't going to go easy on you just cuz you find it hard".

"Yes, Gray-sama.." She said back wearily. She didn't even seem to be listening to him.

"Oi!"

Her dark eyes met his in confusion. "You're gonna have to learn how to fight me even with this damn mark, got it?"

Juvia huffed, puffing her cheeks. She seemed a little angry and _off_. Gray had seen her this way once before when she had a 'bad feeling' before they had battled Tartaros. Steering away from talking about his mark, he went back to their training.

"We've also gotta work on your strength."

Juvia's eyes looked up at him, wide and slightly offended. Her jaw was slightly open, "Is Gray-sama insulting Juvia?"

Gray chuckled, getting next to her to show her proper form so she could get enough power behind a hit. "No, no. You're plenty fast, and you're good at defending. You just gotta work on your offense."

Juvia rose a brow on him, not quite sure whether to feel complimented or criticized. "Well, Gray-sama should work on his _speed_ ," she bit back. Earning a chuckle from the ice mage.

She observed Gray's body take position, "If you stand like this, with your legs squared... You'll be more balanced," he started, and then extended his arm quickly, punching through the air with enough force that made her gulp. She did not want to be at the other end of that fist.

Juvia tightened her ponytail before taking position next to him. She glanced down at herself for a second and felt relieved that she had thought of wearing a sports bra and shorts beneath her usual training clothes. She was starting to suspect that the change of seasons was messing with her since she was used to training in the cold. _No wonder Gray-sama always took his clothes off_ , she thought. Warmth spread through her chest as she mimicked Gray beside her. They were making so many memories together… and now she had this annoying habit of his. Even something silly like that meant so much to her. It was like Gray was spreading and spilling into her life more and more, and it was something she welcomed with open arms. She only wished this could last forever…

Near the end of their training, Gray brought up an idea Juvia hadn't really thought of before. She sat in the grass, exhausted as she drank from her bottle of water. Hydration was essential to her, if she didn't get water in her system or didn't get her body into water, her strength would quite literally dry up. Gray tried his best to avoid being hypnotized by the stream of water running down her throat towards the cleavage. "Have you ever tried using maker magic?"

Juvia glanced up at him oddly, putting the bottle down. He could tell by her far away gaze that she was trying to imagine what that would look like. Her ponytail was all messy now, and instead of being propped up at the center back of her head it hung slightly off to the side, so blue waves cascaded down her pale white shoulder. "Could Juvia even _do_ that?"

Gray looked around for his discarded clothes. Feeling Juvia's eyes roam all over his back as he did. "Sure you can."

Juvia stood, finding her own clothes as well. She was now fully aware of how little both of them had on. And as much as she loved to watch all of Gray's muscles twist and move on his back and across those broad shoulders, she knew that if she kept watching she'd start getting lost fantasizing.

"Water isn't very solid, Gray-sama."

He scoffed as he pulled on his pants. "Well yea, but your maker magic doesn't have to be like mine. Maybe there's something you can make with water that could help you in a fight."

Juvia thought about his words carefully as she pulled on her shirt. Maybe there was something she could do that would help Gray-sama. But what could make with water…? All she knew was her regular caster magic. Some of her magic she didn't quite understand. Her mind went back to what Lucy had said that night at the springs. There was stuff she couldn't quite control... She was aware of the rain that had brewed most of her life had something to do with her abilities. Her water body as well, but that was something that was sometimes selective. She couldn't imagine _making_ something that was anything besides just regular water.

As if reading her thoughts, Gray turned to her, "When Ur taught me about Ice Make, she told me to think about it as using my ice as a tool to get something else that I needed more. " He picked up his shirt, that was beside her and threw her the skirt she was looking for. "Like if I needed something to help me pummel some asshole I would think of a hammer, and then my ice would take its shape."

Juvia's clouded eyes still looked unsure as she slid her skirt on. Gray didn't even bother putting his shirt, it would just end up on the ground anyway. He threw it over his shoulder and crossed his arms, "What, no ideas?"

Juvia's wide hips wiggled to get her skirt up. He could feel his cheeks heat up a bit, but thankfully she was too busy thinking to notice. "Well… it's just that... If Juvia were to make a hammer… it would just.." Gray got a mental image of what she was talking about. The hammer would just fall apart upon impact.

"Like I said, it's not gonna look like mine. Maybe a hammer doesn't suit water, but there's probably somethin'."

That night over dinner, Juvia would think over what Gray had said. He had noticed she was quieter than usual. Most nights she would give him little tasks so he could help with dinner, but that night she worked on their food quietly by herself.

While they were eating, Gray brought up their job again. "I still can't believe the reward money for these idiots."

Juvia nodded, "Yes... it's a lot." She took a finishing bite, "Juvia should have enough money to go back to Magnolia..."

Gray's eyes slightly widened, he hadn't even thought about that. His mind had absolutely forgotten everything about their agreement over two months ago. He felt a pang of disappointment. Having Juvia at the house was kind of nice, she would often cook and her company was a good reminder of their guild.

He thought about saying something to her, but she stood abruptly, taking up his empty dish. He didn't want to sound pathetic. If she wanted to go back, that was her decision. Maybe she had plans back in Magnolia he didn't know about. He took a moment to think of what everyone else had been doing while they were away and what type of work Juvia would be doing if she went back. _No,_ when _she goes back_ , he reminded himself. They might've joined other guilds or gone freelance as he and Juvia had…

Juvia hastily got the dishes clean, trying to get rid of the thoughts of her leaving. Silver-sama had told her to take care of Gray-sama but now that would be much harder to do from a distance.

She and Gray would go to bed early. Both exhausted from the training of the day. They decided that first thing in the morning they would head out. The location of the Fire-Snake Brothers was easily a two-day trip, even with a stagecoach. And Juvia was trying not to think of how sore she would be the next day when they were traveling. Before bed, she fixed herself a warm bath to help soothe her muscles and revitalize her. Gray had already gone to bed, and inside she felt slightly disappointed that tonight he probably wasn't going to be walking in on her.

Slowly, she lowered her bare body into the warm water. Thanking the gods as her muscles relaxed when she was surrounded by the soothing water. She swirled the water around with her hands, moving around the petals of flowers she added for a pleasant aroma. A few minutes into her bath, her cheeks flushed as her mind drifted to Gray. Subconsciously, her hand drifted to place themselves between her legs, finding the place that always gave her trouble when she was around him. Her fingers grazed against herself softly at first, earning a soft gasp from herself. It had been a while since she got to pleasure herself, she was always worried she would be too loud… _but now Gray-sama should be asleep_ , she thought. Her fingers swirled slowly as she gazed up at the ceiling, her wet cerulean hair sticking to her saturated skin. She thought about him when they were training earlier that day. The way his fingers felt on her skin when he corrected her form and the way his hot breath felt on her neck. Even through the water that surrounded her, she could feel the slippery texture of her arousal on her fingers as she quickened her pace, imagining those dark smoldering eyes of him looking down on her as his fingers worked on her. She imagined how his lips would taste and if he would be a gentle or rough lover. _Probably rough..._

Pretty soon she was lost in her fantasy and wasn't paying any particular attention to all the noise she was making. She was hazily aware of the sound of the water splashing as she was nearing her climax. What she wasn't aware of was that she was that her moans and calls were drifting out into the air at a louder volume than she intended...

Gray's eyes snapped open. His tired mind couldn't exactly place where the muffled sounds were coming from... they just floated around him. At first, they were just tiny sounds in the air, his eyes were starting to get heavier and heavier as sleep was starting to take him once more. Suddenly, the tiny noises grew, and his heart raced as his ears rang with the sounds of Juvia's cries. Without thinking, his body shot up and made its way hastily to the location of the sounds. Her cries grew louder and worry filled his chest. He hadn't thought anyone would attack them in their own home. His legs moved quickly toward her room, his arm activating its mark. He was brought to a full stop abruptly, in front of the bathroom door. His ears went red as her cries and moans made themselves clear.

 _Fuck_

It was all too clear what she was doing now. Gray ran a hand through his dark hair as his arm once again darkened with the spreading of his demonic mark. His briefs strained and he cursed, wondering how bad things would be if he would just join her already. Extending his hand to the doorknob, he stopped as Juvia's painfully sinful cries filled the air. Gray's ears went red at the sound of her orgasm, his mark spreading nearly up to his shoulder causing a blinding pain to sear through him. He was certain his mind had recorded her sweet sounds.

He let out a shaky breath, heading back to his room before she noticed his presence. He didn't know whether to be glad or angry that she finished before he barged in. His erection twitched with the torturous memory of her moans as he finally reached his room. He closed the door gently behind him so as to not make any alerting sounds.

One thing was certain, this was not going to be easy at all.

* * *

 **Full disclosure, the next chapter will feature the mission. I may need to split it into two parts depending on how long it is. I want this mission to be important to both Juvia and Gray so I hope everyone enjoys it!**

 **ShizukaPamela : Thank you so much! I really enjoy her character. I feel like most of the manga/anime (mainly the anime) plays her down to be more comedic relief, but when it's key moments she is a very mature person so I try to keep that in mind. ! **Those who don't want anything spoiled probably shouldn't read this** And with the Touka thing. Okay.. it seems like she is specifically targeting Juvia. She may be targeting all of Fairy Tail, but I think it's weird that she knows about Briar and that she is adopting Juvia's personality and asking people around the guild about her being jinxed. She's like specifically trying to provoke her to fight. I have a couple of theories. I get the feeling that she may have a grudge against Gray (maybe she met him or knew about him when he was in Avatar) and the fact that he tricked them may have pissed her off, so that might lead her to try to harm Juvia. OR! Juvia might in some way be related to the Water Dragon God and Touka might want her powers as well. Just theories, but I like the idea of Juvia having an important role! **

**Star197: I'm glad you like the story! **

**Ikhny Shy: She is! I love her weird personality so much 💖**

 **muffin-dragon227: Thank you! I love their relationship and the key parts of each of their personalities. I really enjoyed writing Lucy and Juvia's conversation. I really like it when they are close to one another. I remember seeing their Unison Raid early on in the anime and my heart was fluttering! **

**Guest: **spoiler warning** I thought she might be an exceed too when the whole tail thing happened, but I think it was just her White-mage power-stealing ability since she was sitting right next to Mira and Lisanna. The rain thing is a good point! I hadn't realized it. I keep hoping Juvia is somehow related to the Water Dragon God. That would make sense of why Touka could do it too. If Juvia were related to him than it wouldn't be surprising that he had that ability. I mean it wouldn't be too much of a stretch. It's not like estranged parents haven't been revealed before. **

**Kyogan-Saori: Thank you so much! And yeah, she is. I actually do it a lot too... my imagination gets the best of me sometimes**..

 **CoeurDePluie: Thanks! Juvia actually a really sad origin story that I feel like wasn't addressed enough or shown how it affected her personality, so I'm trying to tie it back into the story. Thank you for enjoying it :) **

**Ananya: Thank you for liking my story! And agreed! These are all important questions that need to be addressed. The period of time where Gray leaves Juvia is important, and I want to treat it as such in my story since it wasn't really touched on in the manga. I feel like Juvia would've gone through an important shift in her view of her relationship with Gray. And yess! I feel like Touka is zoning in on Juvia. As I have mentioned in previous replies, I feel like her heritage may be important here! I'm really hoping Juvia will get to play an important role in all of this. Thank you again for reading and for your review 😀**

 **Releina Artemis Rockefeller: Thank you! :)**

 **Scarf-san: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I also wish the manga would do more Gray POV. What is that boy thinking? I'm always wondering lol **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, everyone!**

 **I'm so sorry for not updating for so long! Life got kind of busy with applying for graduate school and then I had to take the GRE and before I knew it the new semester started! AHHHH it became a mess. ANYWAY- I present to you two new chapters!**

 **Enjoy! Reviews are welcome and thank you for everyone who has followed/faved this story.**

 **(I do not own Fairy Tail)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

When the early white light of morning broke into Gray's room, memories of the night before flooded back to him. He could feel his face redden and guilt rise to his chest as he breathed in deep. He shut his eyes hard, trying to erase the memories but also shielding his eyes from the brightness of day. He shoved his head into the fabric his pillow, releasing a frustrated sigh.

He tried his best to forget how furiously he had taken care of his "problem" after he had heard Juvia go to bed. The sounds of her pleasure still echoed in his head. He took a deep breath as he sat up, this was going to be a long trip.

Sluggishly, he got his bag ready. He didn't need a lot… just some spare clothes and a flask of hard liquor. When he walked out of his room he was surprised to see that Juvia wasn't awake yet. He dropped his bag onto the couch and headed towards her room. Where was she? He was all ready to go, he even had clothes on for crying out loud. Reaching her door he knocked softly, hoping she was ready to head out. Silence. He listened closely, trying to push out the sounds she was making last night that repeated in his mind. He knocked again hastily only to be met with silence once more. What on earth could she be doing?

He broke his hesitation, deciding to just enter. A small part of him hoped for a pleasant sight, but he was only met with darkness. Her curtains were drawn, casting her room in shadow. Hearing him enter causes her to stir under a pile of blankets. The blanket bundle released annoyed groan, more like a growl really. Gray could make out the tangles and waves of her head as she peeked out from under the covers.

"Juvia…" he starts softly, earning another sound of irritation.

He takes a moment, swallowing the tiny bit of fear that somehow crept up his spine. There was a frightening aura around her all of a sudden. She wouldn't hurt him, would she? He felt a chill down his spine as he stared into the dark. This was Juvia. Nice, bubbly Juvia who once professed she would carry Elfman up a mountain on her shoulders if it meant she would get a kiss from Gray.

"Juvia.." He repeated, more resolute.

"What" She groaned angrily. Wow, she was not a morning person at all. That was remarkably shocking to him. In his mind, he always thought of Juvia as the type that would rise all chipper. Now that he thought of it, he had never had to wake her before. Usually woke up after her.

"It's morning." He states as a matter of factly.

There's a ray of light being cast into her room through the crack of the door, and she shifts to look at him. An angry dark eye is illuminated as she glares at him, sending another shiver down his spine. Maybe this was a mistake.

"You interrupted my dream." Her voice was hazy and bitter.

Gray's eyebrows knitted together, puzzled by her tone. Was that sass? Morning Juvia was _very_ different than the one he was used to. He made a mental note to never wake her again. "Sorry... We have to go, we have a quest remember?"

Juvia dropped her face into her pillow and made a huffing sound. "Gray-sama thinks he can just waltz in here with that strong jawline and boss Juvia around.."

Gray frowned, he didn't know whether to feel complimented or insulted. "Juvia."

"I'm coming.." she groaned. With that, Gray left her room with confusion clouding his mind.

Juvia was surprised to see that Gray was already ready to go in the kitchen. She drifted in, with her backpack in her hand, following the smell of food.

"Did Gray-sama cook?" She questioned, setting her bag next to his on the couch as he set down a plate onto the kitchen table.

"If by 'cook' you mean 'made toast', then yes."

Juvia sat down, smiling sweetly to him. "Gray-sama didn't have to do that.."

Gray sat down across from her, smothering marmalade onto his toast. He didn't reply, but he felt relief that Juvia was acting normal again. No one should ever have to wake her up.

He momentarily studied her as she ate. She was back to wearing her normal clothes. Thank the gods he wasn't going to have to worry about her revealing outfits. It was bad enough during their training. She was back to wearing her long skirt with her long sleeve coat. He felt himself smile slightly. Seeing her in these clothes was familiar to him, he felt like he was back at Fairy Tail already. She even had her hat ready with her bag.

They made to the neighboring village to find a stagecoach. They decided that it wouldn't be too much of a hit, the reward money would more than make up for it. Juvia had apparently brought a book to read for the ride. Meanwhile Gray scolded himself for not bringing anything to busy himself with. He really hadn't thought ahead. The stagecoach driver had asked where they were heading and upon hearing the location he told them he wouldn't be able to take them all the way into the mountains where it was.

He had told them, in a hushed voice, "No one goes near there. You kids would be better off going elsewhere.."

Gray didn't pay him much attention though. Today, they would ride the stagecoach to the closest town to their destination and from there they could head in on foot. They've tracked further distances before. Although... He noted Juvia rubbing her thighs, groaning uncomfortably. "You okay?"

Juvia looked over to Gray who was laying across the seat across from her. "Yeah... Gray-sama just made Juvia sore is all."

Gray groaned at the annoying way she put it. The training made her sore, not him. He scoffed, "Maybe if you trained more often."

"Maybe Gray-sama should be more gentle." She returned half-heartedly as she read her book. He looked at the cover of it, realizing it was some dumb romance novel.

"Maybe if you would stop reading so much erotica-"

"I-It isn't e-erotica!" She exclaimed red-faced. "Levy-san recommended it before! It's just r-romance."

Gray raised an eyebrow at her. There was no way it wasn't erotica if she was reacting like this. "Oh, I'm sure."

Juvia groaned. Setting the book down, along with her hat. Gray put his hands behind his back, glancing at her as she fixed her blue waves behind her pale ears, still adorned with her crescent moon earrings. He wondered when she had gotten them, she had obviously taken a liking to them. She had been wearing them that day when he told her she could stay with him.

"How much longer until we get there, Gray-sama?" She asked, steering away from the conversation about her book. That little pervert was totally reading adult literature. He was sure of it.

"The old man said we wouldn't get there till early tonight." Closing his eyes, he let himself start to drift to the rhythm of the sound of the wheels and hooves on the dirt.

Juvia puffed out her cheeks. They still had so much time left in here. The sun was nowhere near setting, and Gray made her shy about reading her book now. She crossed her arms in frustration. Looking over at Gray, she noticed he was starting to doze off.

 _Oh no, you don't_ , she thought. If she was going to be stuck in here not reading her book, she was at least going to speak to him. She pursed her lips, watching the green leaves of the trees sway as they rode past. It was actually a really nice day outside, it was a shame to be spending it in the stagecoach.

She watching the birds and the clouds, thinking of something to say. Surprisingly, he was the one who broke the silence.

"By all means Juvia, you can keep reading your smut novel, I don't really ca-"

"N-Not smut!"

He chuckled at how flustered she was becoming. Instinctually, she crossed her legs as she defended herself. This new outfit of her had slits on both sides, and it was no help at all for him. Now the idea of Juvia reading her that smut with her legs crossed like this didn't seem like such a bad idea. She probably had no idea about the view she was giving him. He set his feet on Juvia's side of the carriage, landing next to her crossed legs. Juvia glanced at his shoes slightly, feeling embarrassed.

Changing topics, Juvia brought up how she missed seeing the guild's exceeds around. "They are so cute flying around~"

"Mmm, Frosch is pretty cute." He said, thinking of that little furry bundle.

"I miss them~"

"I don't really miss Carla criticizin' me all the time or Happy stealin' my food… or Pantherlily threatening me.."

They spent a good chunk of the ride talking about the guild. Juvia mentioning different people she wished to see again, and whatever habit they had that she found endearing and Gray found annoying.

After talking for a while Juvia noticed the sky become a striking gold as sunset was nearing. Gray looked at her as she gaped. She leaned up against the stagecoach window, almost pressing her nose up against it. Beside her were her book and some of his folded clothes that he discarded. She had even begun taking stuff off too, although she was still a lot more mindful than he was. She had only taken off her boots and pushed them to the side with her hat.

"Gray-sama, the sky is so pretty!"

Gray glanced at what was visible of the sky to him. The clouds were gathering an orange hue. "It's alright."

"Juvia didn't know the sky could be so many different colors…" she said to herself, nearly inaudible to Gray.

His eyes shifted from the gold of the sky to the blue of her hair. He had known that she was followed by the rain since her childhood and that for whatever reason it went away when they had fought each other all that time ago. Gray had never thought about everything she had missed out on before, he didn't think it was something she wanted to talk about either so he never asked about it. From what Gajeel had told him, Juvia was a very different person before they met. As she lost herself gazing at the sky he recalled her eyes that day when they had seen each other for the first time. Cold and empty. He had felt the same inside, it was almost like seeing his reflection.

* * *

 _Flashback_

"Nah, she used to date a real scum bag, but she never obsessed with him as she does with you. Gihi, she's giving you special treatment." Gajeel chugged down three-quarters of his pint of beer and smiled wide at him, laughing a bit, "She's never been like this with anyone."

Gray scowled as he heard Nasu beside him, "Ooohh so you could say she's head over heels". Happy added, "She liiiiiikes him…"

Gray's frown deepened. "Yeah, she's said that enough time, genius." He glanced over to Juvia. She was among the other girls, her face was red because of something Cana was saying beside her with a perverted face.

Gajeel followed his gaze, "Yeah she's never been one for making friends… she's always been like that." He put a fry in his mouth, "Always ready for a fight though."

Gray noted her unusual shyness with the girls. She was twirling her fingers, looking down. She wasn't like that when she was around him. Yeah, she hadn't joined the guild for long, but by now most people would've become accustomed already to the others' odd behavior. He could hear Natsu speaking beside him as his eyes stayed on her. She was recently healed from destroying one of those damn lacrimas Laxus has used. Her short hair made her face look like a doll's, her perfectly shaped eyes looked over to his for a split second before Lucy took her by the arm and spun her around. Gray's cheeks warmed up as he sipped his beer.

"What? Didn't she have friends at Phantom?" Natsu asked, opening his mouth wide to take a bite of a turkey leg.

Gajeel finished his beer, he was quieter than usual all of a sudden. Gray didn't even know why they were still talking about Juvia. He'd rather just send his fist through Natsu already.

"Phantom wasn't anything like this." He said referring to the commotion around them. Their guild was loud and crazy. He had known that for a while.

* * *

"Gray-sama will end up naked at this rate."

Gray snapped out of his daze, realizing he had discarded his pants, now being folded by Juvia's gentle hands.

He crossed his arms, he was thinking about something.. Juvia noted how his arms crossed arms made his muscles bulge. The gold light outside also made him look divine. Juvia could feel her eyebrows rise as she began imagining what would happen if she were to just crawl on his lap right now. He was already practically naked, and she wondered how the movement of the stagecoach would affect things… Maybe she really was letting that book get to her.

His dark brows were furrowed and his lips were in a straight line, he was clenching his jaw.

"Is everything okay, Gray-sama?"

Gray clutched his arm where he could feel his arm starting to go haywire again. He was hoping she wouldn't notice.

"I'm fine."

"Is Gray-sama getting grumpy because he's hungry?"

"Tsk, I'm not a baby, Juvia."

Juvia's blue eyebrows rise at his fussy tone. "You get mean when you're hungry!"

Juvia hadn't realized she had unbuttoned her jacket and underneath she only had a mauve purple lace bra on. She tried ignoring his gaze, thinking at first that he was just looking at her with his signature death glare. What he was really looking at was how her bra was only lace and it was very much see through. The color complimented her fair skin and her pink nipples were a little hard.

Juvia looked at him as he looked at her. She lowered her head a bit to try to meet his eyes. "Gray-sama?"

Gray's cheeks went hot. He had been caught. Miraculously, his mark hadn't spread. He clenched again and brought his foot across to his other knee, trying to conceal the erection he had growing.

He looked out the window, "Your jacket is undone."

Juvia looked down, realization dawning on her.

She spent the rest of the stagecoach ride making that ridiculously dumb dreamy face she always made when she was daydreaming. Gray looked at her annoyed.

Juvia was absolutely beaming. She felt all giddy inside knowing that Gray had been staring at her breasts. Well, she had a bra on but that was good, too!

When they had finally gotten into the small town, Juvia was still daydreaming. Gray had paid the old man who did not seem at all happy when he saw Gray half dressed and Juvia with that dumb expression plastered on her face. No doubt he thought something had gone down in his stagecoach.

He pointed them to the direction of an inn with a scowl on his wrinkled face. Gray had walked towards it, pulling on his clothes as Juvia followed behind him still off in her own world. The door of the little inn rang when he swung it open. He hadn't thought that sitting in a stagecoach all day would make him feel sore everywhere but it somehow did.

The small elderly woman of the inn smiled warmly at the both of them. Her silver hair was in a tight bun on her head with some flyaways. She looked tired but happy at the same time somehow.

"One room?" She asked, turning around to grab some keys.

"Yea~" answered Juvia, dreamily.

Gray frowned at Juvia, "No. Two is good."

The lady paused, looking back at her, "Oh I'm sorry, dearie. We only have the one…"

Gray sighed and Juvia made a sound of contentment.

"...but it does have two beds."

Juvia's expression saddened. Gray smiled at the lady, "That's great, thanks."

The room was a decent size, with two twin beds pressed up against opposite walls. Juvia kept looking at him, obviously trying to initiate something. Gray kept ignoring her though, he showered and got himself under the covers quickly, avoiding her gaze. There was a high possibility that she had discarded some of her clothes by now. He had turned off the lamp beside the bed he decided would be his and closed his eyes.

"Gray-sama… can we share a bed?"

"No"

"But Gray-sama!"

"Juvia, did this work for you last time?"

"No…"

Gray stayed quiet. They had a big day tomorrow and this is what she was thinking about? There were here to turn in two dangerous men, not for some getaway.

Juvia puffed out her cheeks. She hadn't imagined it earlier had she? He had definitely been looking at her breasts, right? Why was he being so difficult?

Juvia crossed her arms. She was wearing a large t-shirt that belonged to Gray. She had forgotten her nightdress at home and he usually packed extras since he always lost them. She pulled her hair to the side, running her fingers through it, getting tangles out.

"Gray-sama seemed interested earlier…" She contemplated quietly.

Gray flashed her an annoyed look. There was no way she was ever going to forget that. "I'm going to need you to focus on why we're here."

Juvia returned his look of annoyance. "We could be having a lot of fun right now if Gray-sama weren't so stubborn."

Gray sighed, irritated. He knew perfectly well of all the "fun" she was referring to. But that was a line he didn't want to cross. If anything were to actually happen between them, Juvia would become something more than a friend. He couldn't handle that right now. Not while his mark was out of control and certainly not while E.N.D. and Zeref were still out there. He had only thought about admitting it out loud once before and the universe had shown him it wasn't time yet. He wasn't going to let someone else die because of him again. The count was up way too high, and until everything was over and Zeref and his demons were gone… nothing could happen between him and Juvia. No matter how much they both wanted to close the gap between them, they couldn't.

Juvia went to sleep, annoyed at Gray for not wanting to fool around. Wrapping herself up in the odd smelling blankets of the inn, she let her breathing get steady before feeling her drowsiness overtake her. Her muscles felt stiff, after yesterday's training and after today's stagecoach, she felt like she needed to visit the hot springs again.

Morning came too quickly for her. Gray was nowhere to be seen, his bag was gone too. Worried, she got ready quickly. Slipping off Gray's shirt to put on her normal clothes and freshening up. Why had he left without her? Was he alright? Her heart was beating uncomfortably hard in her chest and tiny prickles of pain were scattering across to her shoulders. She felt her hair sticking to the back of her neck as she hurried to get her stuff together. Her body felt hot, she knew it was because she was panicking inside. The sooner she found him the better. He was probably just eating breakfast, right? When she headed down to the first floor of the inn, she effortlessly found the wild locks of her Gray-sama sitting at a small table with breakfast in front of him. She let out a sigh of relief, and her worry was now replaced by anger.

"Why didn't you wake me, Gray-sama?!"

Gray's icy blue eyes glanced up at her. He had a mouthful of food and he shrugged his shoulders. Juvia bit back the hurt that had risen to her throat. Didn't he know how upsetting it was to not be there? She had felt incredibly frightened seeing that he was gone when she woke up. Who knows what could've happened. She had thought that maybe he had gotten fed up with her and gone to do the mission on his own. She got herself some hot coffee and sat down across from him. Taking a sip from its warmth she gazed out the window. She was still upset with Gray for just ditching her that morning. The mountains beyond the small town looked ferocious. They came up in intimidating spikes, piercing the heavens in a way that made Juvia shiver inside. The tops of them were nearly hidden by clouds. In the morning light, they looked pure white. Somehow she found it both beautiful and terrifying. And that's where they were heading. The last known location of the Fire-Snake Brothers…

"You need to eat something, Juvia."

Juvia's shoulders tensed at the sound of Gray's rumbly morning voice. She didn't have an appetite. Not after being left behind!

"Juvia is not very hungry, Gray-sama. Coffee is fine."

"I'm not asking." He set down a plate full of food in front of her loudly, earning a couple of questioning looks from others around them. "Eat."

She was getting into a stupid habit of not taking care of herself. Gray ignored the annoyed glance she gave him through her dark long lashes and he ignored the way she puffed pink cheeks at him in protest. He was not about to let her go hiking up a mountain on an empty stomach. That was just moronic.

After Juvia finished the food Gray had forced her to scarf down, they got up to leave. Juvia had noticed it first, the whispers around them. She tugged on Gray's coat as she glanced around at all the staring faces. Gray looked at her, worried and realized why she was uncomfortable. They could hear the other patrons at the inn whisper words like mages and Fairy Tail. Gray smiled slightly at Juvia, reassuring her. They must've gotten recognized is all, after the Grand Magic Games it wasn't too unusual. It certainly wasn't the first time people had noticed them in a crowd. After that ridiculous stunt Juvia had pulled it was no surprise.

When they exited the little inn, they came face to face to a scene they had not noticed before. In the night it had been had been too dark for them to see, but now in stark daylight, it was impossible to miss. Down what looked like the main street of the small town was an eerie path of destruction. Sides of small picturesque shops were charred and in repair. Odd looking holes in geomorphic patterns plagued sections of the cobblestone paths, seemingly melted creating a surreal spectacle.

Gray's ears perked at the sound of the bell of the inn's door and turned to see the white-haired old lady from the night before bow to them both. The frail woman who had been attending the counter was looking kindly to both of them through aged eyes, adorned with the wrinkles of her age. Gray thought silently that she must've come outside to send them off. It was no secret now who they were and from the tone of the whispers inside, it was evident that they knew why they were here.

Juvia looked at the elderly woman in wonder, her eyes saddening with the realization that it may have been her, or rather this small desolate town, that had put in the request for the capture of the Fire-Snake Brothers. What they left behind in this peaceful place was unspeakable to Juvia, but it wasn't a scene she was unfamiliar with. True, Natsu had left a bountiful amount of half-destroyed cities, but the residents didn't have the expression these people had. Their faces were grim as they worked on … this type of savagery she was only familiar with in her days in Phantom Lord. Days she had wished forgotten, memories of those times still managed to churn her stomach unpleasantly.

Juvia's thoughts were interrupted by the small, fragile voice of the elderly woman. Her eyes were of deep mourning, downcast she spoke, "Please, come back safe…"

Gray stayed still. Not exactly sure what to say, but when the woman's light hazel eyes looked at him he realized the sadness they held. He was sure that these Brothers had caused her a great deal of pain. He wasn't quite sure what his reaction should be…

He was surprised by Juvia's sunny voice. "Don't worry, madam! We Fairy Tail mages always come out on top!"

Gray felt himself smile. She was right. "We'll take care of them, don't you worry."

The trip of the mountain was not at all as Juvia anticipated. She expected it to be a lot scarier. Instead, she was greeted by all the wildlife of the forests. Several times she called out to Gray to point out a bunny or a fox or a nice bird. Gray hadn't really noticed them until she said something. This wasn't the first forest he'd gone through, and after seeing a few he felt like he had pretty much seen them all. In his childhood, he and Natsu would have a lot of fun running after all the animals. They would run fast and try to catch squirrels or other small creatures before they got to run up the rough bark of the trees or soar through the tops of the leaves and into the sky.

Now with Juvia, he felt like he was looking at it for the very first time. As if he'd never gone through a forest before. He enjoyed her company, she was full of new experiences and he oddly felt glad that he was with her to experience them. She was full of laughter and acting giddy until they found a clearing of charred trees and discarded carcasses of woodland creatures. Juvia brought her hand to her face, covering her nose from the foul odor of death.

The grass beneath their feet had started to crunch with each step and was a sickly pale color, falling apart after each step she took. The trees had burnt down and all was left was their husks, broken and peeling. Juvia averted her eyes from the carcasses of the forests' animals. This was surely their home… and someone just came by and destroyed it. Was there even any reason for this cruelty? She felt her stomach sicken when her eyes met that of what was once a beautiful living, breathing deer. Its eyes had... Melted, sticking to patches of blacked hair.

Juvia felt herself shiver. Gray's hand lightly went down on her shoulder, rubbing into it with his thumb comfortingly. "We'll find them.." He said, reassuringly. Juvia nodded. There wasn't anything they could do for these creatures now, she knew that. She just couldn't understand the needless slaughter they went through. Them and the land. Did these brothers just enjoy lighting things on fire?

Juvia's sickening feeling in her stomach churned, turning into fury. Juvia's mind went back to the old woman of the inn, had she lost someone as well? There wasn't a way to bring back everyone these brothers had needlessly killed, but they could have justice brought to them. The thought of that eased her with resolution. Juvia's mind rang with the memory of what Gray had said, _They have a high bounty for a reason._

Gray's voice brought her back, "It looks like they headed this way." He followed tracks on the ground, they were large and deep. They must've been heavy, and by the looks of the size of them, they were tall as well. Juvia followed behind him quietly. He glanced back at her to make sure she was okay and noticed her furrowed brow and her expression. He turned back, following the tracks. He had recognized that look on her face before, every time they would train and she was intent on kicking his ass. That was good, at least now she was focusing. Still, he wished she hadn't had to see that.

The sun was starting to beam down on them. They had been making their way up and now there weren't as many trees to give shade. Juvia could feel her porcelain skin burning. Gray had noticed her pink hue, too. She didn't have that obnoxious pink umbrella right now, and now that he thought about it she never stayed in the sun for too long. "You alright?"

"Juvia is fine, Gray-sama." She took out her water bottle from her pack, taking a large gulp.

Gray settled down, sitting on a large rock. "Let's take a break," he patted to the shaded spot on the rock next to him, "We need to keep our energy up, after all."

Juvia nodded. Sitting down and thanking the tree above her for having nice wide leaves. Taking off her hat and pulling her hair to the side to cool off she took in a breath of contentment. Resting was so nice.

"You burn pretty easy, huh?" Gray asked, taking a sip from his own bottle of water.

Juvia rubbed the sore spots on her arms. This attire really wasn't helping her, it was too damn hot. "Well, Juvia thinks her skin never learned how to handle the sun, that's all."

Gray pondered on the thought. No wonder she was still pale. "Should've brought your umbrella." He stated.

Juvia gave him an annoyed glance. "And Gray-sama should keep his clothes on.. But sometimes we have our faults."

Gray rose his brows in amusement. "I don't think you can play that card anymore, you're stripping is almost as bad as mine."

Juvia's mouth opened, offended. "Almost!"

They were interrupted by the sudden cracking of thunder. The clouds that were white in the morning light were now gray and invading the sky visible to them. Rain descended on them, trickling onto the crown of Juvia's head like small fingers poking at her.. Juvia rose, her clothes were all getting wet now. For a split second, she questioned if she was the cause of this sudden downpour like so many times before. "Why didn't Juvia bring her umbrella?!" She cried.

"Damn! The tracks!" Gray rushed to the steps he was following earlier. The rain was coming down hard, poking down on his back as he crouched down where the tracks once were. The slope of the mountainside was of no help. They were washing out fast.

"Quickly, Juvia!" He exclaimed, following as much of the tracks that were still visible to him. Juvia followed behind him quickly. Thanking the sudden rain for her replenishment but annoyed at the same time that it was ruining their lead.

After careful following, Gray groaned. "They're gone. Fuck!"

Juvia looked around, the rain was pounding hard on her head and her hair was sticking to her skin and tighter waves. There wasn't anything on the ground anymore. The dirt was all mixing up with the rain and just becoming a muddy mess. She looked up in frustration. Always ruining the fucking day thanks a lo-...

Her rant against the rain was interrupted by what looked like a charred rock. "Gray-sama?" She said, pointing up at the blacked stone.

Gray's arm was incredibly quick. She never even saw him bring it forward to create an icy walkway. He ran in front of her, reaching the top of his walkway to a ledge covered in black and with holes that looked like something had eaten away at it. He carefully leaned over the narrow ledge, "Juvia, there's a cave over here.." He said, loud enough for only her to hear over the sound of the thunderous rain.

He extended an arm out to her, helping her onto the ledge carefully and leading her to the cave's wider ledge. They both stood there, staring into the black as the thunder behind them clapped menacingly. Gray's dark hair hung low with raindrops, he pushed it away from his eyes, slickening it back. "You ready?" He asked.

Juvia gulped, her nerves making her hand tremble a bit, but Gray's dark eyes reassured her.

"Yeah."

* * *

 **ShizukaPamela: I would absolutely love to continue Juvia's story as being a relative to the Water Dragon God! I feel like it would be amazing to see her in such an important and powerful position! Thank you again for enjoying the story! **

**IkhnyShy: I'm trying to develop Gray's character a bit with the effects of the demon slayer mark! That's why he might not act as restrained at times if he succumbs to it a bit more. Plus, I'm always wondering what he's thinking, lol. Thank you for reading and enjoying! I hope you enjoy the newest chapters!**

 **TheJSmooth: I know, right?! Poor guy, it must be torture! **

**Scarf-san: Thank you so much! I've been in love with the ideas of these two characters for years now and I always wished the manga would explore their relationship a bit more. I am trying to sort of weave my ideas with the actual manga so I'm so glad you said this! With the whole Touka business, it seems like the story probably won't incorporate Juvia in the way I (and a lot of us) were hoping. It's so disappointing! There was a lot of potential there. **

**Kyogan-Saori: Oh most definitely not! XD you're very welcome :)**

 **Guest: Thank you for enjoying! **

**blueberrrykisses: Thank you! That is very important to me :)**

 **nik09: Thanks for enjoying! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! **

**I12Bfree: Okay let me start by saying your username is awesome! I said it out loud and literally made this face :O. Thank you for reading and liking the story! I try to capture them as best as I can and give some nice moments. And here you go~ two new chapters. **

**Guest #2: Thank you for liking! I'm sorry it took me so long to update! **

**Star197: Thank you!**

 **bloodberi: Thanks! Again, I'm sorry it took me a while to update, but I'm hoping the double chapter release will make up for it!**

 **Guest #3: Thank you for reading! And laughing? Lol XD **

**0Little0: Thank you very much! I am planning on following the manga timeline of Gray leaving for his undercover mission, but I am planning on addressing it more elaborately than it did in the manga. I'm hoping to use it as a way to develop the characters and their dynamic. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

The cave was damp and dark. Juvia could hardly see anything as she followed closely behind Gray. Her heart was beating hard in her chest once more and she swore she could hear Gray's beating equally as hard. It was a bit difficult to hear, the rain outside was echoing in the cave.

They had no way of knowing how deep this thing went or where the brothers themselves were. Hopefully, they weren't together, that would make it easier for them to be overtaken.

Juvia and Gray's feet made slight slippery sounds through the wet floors of the cave, which seemed to be growing taller as Juvia's sight adjusted. She was grateful the rain had appeared and refreshed her, it would be much easier on her to fight now. She could still feel the tighter waves of her hair as she walked fluidly. This was always a side effect of her power up, it was once acknowledged by her friends at the springs whenever they told her she looked like a siren. Juvia didn't understand it all herself, but it made sense to her that water would replenish her.

Gray followed slight noises in front of him. It was getting damn hard to see through all this darkness. For once, he wished Natsu was here. Or that he brought a damn flashlight at least. He stopped abruptly when he heard voices, earning the feeling of Juvia's soft body colliding with his. The Fire-Snake brothers were close. He could hear one obnoxiously deep voice rumbled, "That old bitch got me in the fuckin' eye." Another one, equally deep rumbled into laughter. The cave itself seemed to shudder at his voice, "You should've just killed her. You mess around too much, I just go straight for it."

Gray swallowed, yeah this had to be them, no doubt about it. He felt Juvia's hand on his coat tighten. He couldn't tell if she was frightened or angry. He squinted his eyes, seeing the warm orange glow of what had to be fire.

Stepping forward to find a good place to peek at them, Gray managed to slip like an idiot. He caught himself, but not before slapping his hand on the wall.

"Did you hear that?"

Juvia held her breath, stiffening her body.

The other bellowed, "I think we might have some company today, brother."

Gray quickly made his way to an edge of the cavern wall, behind it was the warm glow of a fire. They were close now.

"Keep a lookout, I'm gonna check down here.." And then added in an irritated tone, " Probably another fuckin' fox."

One of the brother's heavy footsteps approached them. Gray pressed Juvia against the wall beside him with a protective arm. Hopefully, the dark would help them get a jump on the guy, after all the destruction they saw, a head-on attack would not be wise. It would be easiest to attack one of the simultaneously and detain him.

The footsteps grew louder with his approach. Juvia was holding her breath, Gray noticed. He hadn't even realized that he was too. The brawly man passed beside them, heading towards the entrance. He was massive, at least eight foot tall and built like a tank. His head was thick and bald, with a jarring scar dug at the back of it. It looked familiar to Juvia in the dark, but all she could think about was how this guy looked kinda looked like a thumb.

The man slowed his steps as if thinking back. Juvia was sure he had realized there was someone there, but before she could think of what to do Gray had already frozen the man in place at his feet and hands. Juvia let out a small sigh of relief but she froze at the sound of his laughter. Her ears pricked as his menacing voice echoed, bouncing on the cave walls. "Nice try, kid."

Through the dark, Juvia squinted and observed as Gray's ice melted with a sizzle as a goo type substance seeped through the stranger's hands. It hit the ground, crackling through the rock and sending an odd aroma towards them. Juvia watched as the substance melted through the cavern ground and smoke trailed into the air. It was acid. She felt adrenaline surging through her as Gray shouted at her to get back as the man raised his hand to attack.

Juvia slid back into the cave, her feet becoming water to allow her movements to be quick. Suddenly the path behind her dropped out beneath her feet and she found herself falling. He butt hit the ground hard, earning a groan from her. Behind her, another voice bellowed. Juvia was surrounded by the warm red glow of a fire. "Who do we have here?"

Quickly she turned to meet her opponent. Another man, nearly identical to the other had a wicked smirk on his face. This one had a long scar going down one of his eyes, which was red where the whites of his eye should have been. It was a fresh wound. Juvia's eyes quickly darted around, this was a giant opening. Strategically, she moved back deeper into the cave. She would have more room here. The man kept staring at her, it was hard to notice. He had an expression like he was trying to figure out who she was.

Unexpectedly, he laughed, "Is that _you_ , Ameona?"

Juvia's fighting stance faltered momentarily at her former nickname. She rose a blue brow, "Do we know each other?"

Behind her foe, she could hear the sounds of Gray fighting that acid wielding blockhead. Her eyes focused once more at the man in front of her. Behind him she could see the blurry shapes of Gray and the other brother, making their way to the opening where Juvia had fallen. Gray elegantly had made an ice path down, avoiding an embarrassing fall as Juvia had done. She still felt the pain on her bum. That was going to be annoying in a fight.

The man before her was laughing once more, earning a glance from Gray. "It's been a long time! Brother still hasn't forgiven you for that nasty scar. You're lucky I'm the one that found you," he said wickedly.

Juvia's brows furrowed in confusion. She fixed her eyes on the opponent Gray was fighting, the one with the scar on his head. In the light, he was easier to see. Juvia recognized him now, the man in front of her too. It was so long ago…

He bellowed once more, " Oi oi!" He laughed. " Brother!" He yelled loudly, "Ameona doesn't quite remember us!"

The man fighting with Gray looked over at them, "Is that _you_ Ameona, you bitch!" Gray felt a pinch of anger course through his arm, using his ice make to bring an iced hammer across his enemies face. It was so quick, his enemy hadn't seen it coming.

Juvia focused back on the man in front of her. "That was all a long time ago, and from what I remember," she started, creating a circle of water like tentacles around her perimeter, "I kicked both of your asses."

The bald man laughed, bringing his hand up. A circle of deep red fire surrounded Juvia. It had a rather odd quality to it, sort of dark. In her mind's eye, when she pictured fire she would often see the type Natsu used which was bright and warm. This fire was different. Malicious. She felt the heat smothering her, making it quite difficult to breathe steadily. This.. this was different. She could sense the repelling feeling she often got when facing dark magic. Magic associated with demons and the likes of Zeref. The thought of that unnerved her. In her mind all she could hear was Gray's voice once more... _they have a high bounty for a reason_. The thought of Zeref somehow being involved has her stomach feeling queasy. She shook her head, erasing the thoughts from her mind. All she needed to think about right now was taking down the enemy in front of her. A cold feeling slowly crept up her spine. She watched at the horrific sight of her water evaporating around her with a hissing sound.

"I heard somethin' about you recently, ya know?" He chuckled sinisterly, "But it's impossible, look at how _weak_ you've gotten."

Juvia ignored his words, not quite knowing what he was talking about, and not caring either. Suddenly, she remembered who he was. It was what seemed like an eternity ago. Juvia must've been fifteen or sixteen when she was in Phantom and these two idiots wouldn't leave her alone. Juvia pushed it to the back of her mind. She had won that fight, and she left that big meathead had a scar on his head as a reminder. Serves him right for trying to force a young girl into something she didn't want to do.

She tried hard to recall their names.. the one with the scar. What was it? She remembered vaguely that their names rhymed, she assumed their parents were rather lazy.

A small voice in her head whispered to her, _Jason_...

 _And that would make this one Mason._

Hot beads of sweat began beading down her forehead. This was bad, this magic was evaporating all of her water. That rain earlier would be no help now. That just meant that she would have to finish this fight quickly if she wanted to win.

She managed to extinguish a path into the fire that was blocking her in. Her opponent quickly began throwing fists of fire down as she exchanged blows with him. She tried to move quicker than him. This walking thumb was a giant, much bigger than when she was young. But that meant his moves were slower, giving her a slight advantage. She moved graciously between his legs, dodging his attacks. The ground beneath was becoming charred and cracking with the blows of her enemies fists. For a moment she was afraid that the cave might collapse on them, but one problem at a time, she thought.

Unexpectedly, he brought a fiery violet flamed leg up. Juvia quickly turned her physical form to water in an attempt to make his physical attack useless but shockingly she still felt the blow of his leg on her ribs. She yelled in pain, clutching to her side.

She glanced again at his fist, the flame that was once red was now a deep violet and seeping with the ominous dark magic Juvia had sensed earlier. Juvia wondered what the hell that fire was and how it was able to counteract her water form.

Gray was getting more and more annoyed by the minute. Between the maniacal laughter of his enemy and his ice being melted through, this fight seemed never-ending. Juvia's scream caught his attention. Her water form was somehow being hit by the enemies flaming fists. His fire was different than Natsu's, it was an odd shade of purple. No doubt if that flame-brain was here he would try to eat it. Gray felt his wrist twitch when she screamed once more.

He tried to not avert too much attention from the enemy in front of him. If he wanted to help her, he was going to have to kick this guy's ass first. Gray dodged another spray of acid, creating ice shards to frenzy his adversary. His ears twitched at the sound of the other brother fighting Juvia.

Gray glanced, seeing her on the ground, surrounded by the odd violet flames. This was bad, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they were evaporating her water and in turn draining her power. The man, Mason, kicked her with flames and chuckled again. Gray felt his right arm growing colder, a painful sensation searing through it once more.

"We saw that little broadcast of you during those pathetic 'Games'." He kicked again in the same spot on her ribs. Juvia spits up blood between screams. Despite being in excruciating pain she found herself feeling anger boiling inside of her. "You're whole 'love' schtick is revolting. What happened to the Ameona we knew, huh?"

Gray's arm seared, he was vaguely aware of his mark growing but his mind's attention was directed elsewhere. His demon slayer magic was growing faster and he seemed to be becoming stronger as the fury inside him churned. When he got his hands on that fucker…

He just had to go get to her quickly. If they could just be side by side, they could easily handle these two jackasses. If they could handle Lyon in his silly tantrum.. these two bald brothers would be no problem.

Gray's anger seemed to be feeding his mark. The black would spread more ferociously with each of Juvia's cries, consuming Gray's arm as he envisioned breaking each rib in that brute. He hated this, he hated that he couldn't get close enough to help her. He felt the prickling of heat and frustration on the back of his neck. He needed to just get to her, at this rate who knew how long she'd last. After everything he went through to make sure to separate himself from her for her sake, it seemed that the distance between them was the cause of their downfall. He would dwell on the annoying irony of it all if only this walking eyesore wasn't trying to melt his face off.

Juvia's ribs had taken a beating. This type of pain was familiar but not something she was used to inherently due to her usual ability to render physical attacks useless.

Gray was growing tired of this game, it was really getting old.

Juvia's ribs ached as she attempted to lift herself up. Her magic was deteriorating. Her mind was blank, how the hell was she supposed to fight this guy? He hadn't had this type of magic before. Back then… his magic had been normal. His flames were weaker than Natsu's... Weaker than Juvia's water that's for damn sure. Juvia could feel her spine tremble as purple flames loomed before her. _No.. this magic is ominous. This isn't... Right._

Juvia breathed deep, wincing as her ribs seemed to pierce her lungs. "What is this?" She asked him, trying to conjure up as much water as she could.

The man's laugh echoed through the cave. It's low rumble bounced off the walls and blended together with the thunder outside. "This nice little power boost you mean, Ameona?"

Juvia could feel warm blood running down her lip and a cut on her cheek sting. She nodded furiously at the man. She expected him to laugh again. A maniacal laugh like his brother's, but instead he flashed her an eerie smile. Darkness seemed to cling to him as he flashed her his dirty teeth.

"A gift from my new Master."

Somehow Juvia knew exactly who he was talking about. He was everywhere now, wasn't he? It wasn't that fuck head Jose Porla anymore. Juvia hadn't the faintest idea where that bastard had gone to, but she knew well that this was not a "gift" from her former guild master. No.. this was someone who _specialized_ in dark magic, not just fiddled with it like a naive toddler. This was from someone who was the personification of evil in this world. The man her dear love was committed to destroy. Him and his creations.

 _Zeref_

Juvia did her utmost best to make sure her expression was as cold and emotionless as the time she had known this animal. The man had obviously expected her to falter. This wasn't the first time she was acquainted with the name 'Zeref'. After all, she had gone chasing after him, well more like crawled after him, when they were on Tenrou Island. She hadn't even thought about it too much. She had gone after him as soon as Gray-sama requested her to but she never thought about what she would do if she _actually_ came face to face with him.

The man before her brought her out of her thoughts once again. His magic seemed to grow while hers was waning.

"I was supposed to find you, Ameona. Did ya know that?" He laughed to himself, "Lucky for me, you just turned up here."

Gray's ears felt heat at his words. As he dodged another acid attack he took a quick glance. Juvia was standing now. That was good. He felt a small sense of relief but knew he needed to quickly get to her. Surely she wasn't in a good condition to keep on going. If this asshole could just stop shooting this goddamn goo he could get a second to fucking breathe and freeze him.

"You're fucking pathetic. You're an obsessive little bitch, going after someone who obviously doesn't give a shit about you!" He gave a small chuckle, "That's no way to live. You don't have 'friends'. Fairy Tail is a goddamn _joke_! Do you actually think they give a fuck about a Rain Woman like you?"

Gray tried to focus on the asshole in front of him. Tried to concentrate on dodging and countering. But when she screamed he felt himself break.

"Get a fucking li-"

Juvia foot came into contact with the man's jaw, sending him reeling back.

"Fucking bitch!" He yelled, grabbing her harshly on her already injured ribs and sending his large knee into her legs.

Juvia felt pain course through her body and suddenly a numbness. There was a sound ringing in her ears, but she couldn't quite tell what it was. Suddenly, she realized it was her own voice… screaming.

Gray's heart seemed to beat harder than ever. Everything seemed to… blur. All he could feel was the surging anger coursing through him. He was sure that Juvia's screams would haunt him forever. That high pitched ringing in his ears was repeating. His elbow stung with new found cold. A burning sensation, that somehow felt freezing, tore through his skin and consumed his shoulder, chest and right eye almost all at once. His eye felt like it was scorching but in an instant, it cooled to a familiar dull sting.

Juvia gripped her right thigh, her voice echoing through the cave in strained gasps. She wasn't quite sure how it happened… in an instant, the cave was _frozen_. The warm glow of the fire seemed a million times brighter, as the light bounced and reflected on the ice that covered the surrounding cave walls. Beneath her, she felt the cold of what could only be her Gray-sama's devil slayer magic.

She turned to see the brother that Gray had been fighting, Jason, frozen in a brick of ice. His ugly face contorted in confusion and stuck. His eyes looked bewildered, his arms were stuck up trying put space between him and Gray.

Gray…

Where was Gray?

Juvia looked forward to where her opponent was. He too looked shocked, no longer looking at her but staring at Gray with an open jaw. Juvia could register two emotions running through the Fire wielder's face. Anger and confusion.

"Who the fu-"

He tried to swing his fist as he spoke but was interrupted, once more, by ice enveloping his fists and weighing them down. Juvia clutched her leg tightly, taking this chance to look at her Gray-sama whose gaze seemed far away. It was like he wasn't even really seeing the person before him.

"Gray-sama?"

Gray looked over at her slowly, sending a chill through Juvia's spine. His _eye_... His _mark_. Juvia was frozen in pure shock. His mark had eaten away at him. His torso... His chest... Half of his face. Juvia blinked hard but could only see that iris. That red iris that had taken over his eye.

His eyes were off of her now, and he was back to looking at a bewildered Jason.

"She can live however she damn well pleases, asshole."

Juvia shivered once more. Not solely because of how terrifying Gray was being, but because she found herself oddly attracted to this husky and dark version of him.

Gray had somehow gotten beside her. She felt his hand come down on the top of her head. Her hat was gone... She hadn't even noticed before. His palm was strangely warm and his fingers intertwined with strands of her cerulean hair.

"C'mon, Juvia. Let's finish him off."

Juvia felt her heart flutter. It was like that time... At the games. She felt like she was floating, her heart warm… her leg numb.

She felt light headed… but they were close. It was almost over.

 _Together, we don't lose_

It was something Gray had said before… hadn't he?

It kept repeating in her head. The words melding together.

 _Together we don't lose Together we don't lose_

 _togetherwedontlose_

It was all hazy to Juvia... She felt his palm brush against hers. Felt him support her weight as she stood and they had unified their power once more. She hardly felt anything at all. It felt like she was watching it happen rather than being present in it. Usually, she would recall the surge of energy at combining her powers with his... But she just felt so tired after that, like all her energy had been sucked out. She had only been vaguely aware that their joint attacked had swept Mason off his feet.

She felt her eyes drift to a close and heaved a painful breath. She snaked an arm around her ribs, shaking both from the cold and from pain as she sunk back down to the ground. She could hear the hard thumps of her heartbeat in her ears, a surging headache plaguing her. There was an indistinct sound happening around her now. She had expected Gray to help her up. Maybe that's why she opened her eyes... She was aware of his absence beside her.

She instantly regretted it. Horrified at the sight, her stomach sank.

There he was, her Gray-sama, covered in blood. Only… it wasn't his own. His fists were bloody and coming down on the fire-wielding brother they had just been fighting. She could hear his voice now, beyond the deafening sound of her own heart as he repeatedly hit the man who was already on the ground. He was howling in pain as thin shards of ice ejected from Gray's hand dove into him.

Juvia opened her mouth to scream at him. She couldn't understand why he was doing this, he needed to stop! He needed to stop before he did something horrible- before he went too far!

She felt herself paralyze as he stomped harshly on the man's leg. The one that had come down on her aching ribs again and again. Gray's foot had been encased in the hard ice of his demon-slayer magic. She could hear the grim sound of bones breaking. The man was crying in pain now, apologizing over and over through sobs. Juvia wanted to speak. She needed to speak - she knew that. But nothing came out. Her mouth, which had been hanging open in horror felt dry.

Gray who had always been so cool and restrained in her eyes was spirling. Juvia was sure it was the mark that had done this to him. Her Gray would never do this. He wouldn't, would he?

Juvia could feel the darkness pooling around him, similar to how it clung to that man Gray was beating into the ground. He wouldn't last much longer. She needed to do something- anything!

Gray's black covered hand lifted the man's head from his chin, and in his other hand was a sharp shard of ice, shaped like a knife. Juvia felt frozen as the man, who was crying and pleading, squirmed to get free but couldn't. She watched in dreadful silence as Gray's knife, sharp and eager sliced out the man's tongue in a show of horror.

That's when her voice finally reached her.

Gray's ears rang with the shrill cries coming from Juvia. Through his hazy vision, he turned his head, searching for her.

He found her in his sights. He approached her tattered form, as she sobbed and cried, growing more and more quiet as he advanced in her direction.

"Are you okay, Juves? A-Are you hurt?"

Juvia looked up at him from the ground, holding her leg as tears escaped her thick dark lashes.

Gray noticed her injury, "Can you stand?" He asked, concerned.

Juvia looked down, sobbing silently leaving Gray puzzled. They had taken down the guys, right? He head was pounding, he couldn't exactly remember what had happened…

He glanced behind him and wished he hadn't.

 _When did_ that _happen..?_

He looked down at his hand, stained red. He could feel the familiar dull ache in his bones from his father's magic. This was.. Becoming a problem. An actual problem, a _dangerous_ problem.

This wasn't like the times before. He wasn't indulging himself in his sinful erotic thoughts. This was extremely alarming. Loss of control during battle? That was perilous, he could've killed someone. He could've killed Juvia if he wasn't careful.

He felt his heart stop and looked back at the man who looked tattered and beaten. He approached, hoping to the gods that he _didn't_ go too far. The man's eyes were closed, swollen and sprinkled with deep red. Gray put a hand on the man's pulse, praying that he was still alive.

The heartbeat was quick, but it was still pumping hard. He was alive.

Gray let out a deep breath. This was a mess. He rose from the iced cave floor. Juvia wasn't going to be able to walk, not a chance in hell even if she tried. One of the brothers, the ugly mug Gray had fought first, was frozen in a brick.

They needed to get back into that town, anywhere with authorities really.

Juvia's sobbing was lighter now, she wiped her tears on her sleeve. Gray glanced at her solemnly… he would have to apologize, wouldn't he? For scaring her like that. It must've been... A hard sight.

Pushing it out of his mind he got himself to work making a sort of cage-like carriage to transport their bounties.

Juvia watched silently as Gray finished using his maker magic. It was a carriage, a seat in the front and a large cage on the back. He loaded up the one that was frozen first, easing up the ice and sliding him in. The second one, the man on the ground, made Gray scowl. Juvia rubbed her legs, attempting to steady her breathing. Gray froze the man's hands and feet, he was still unconscious, thankfully.

He loaded him in as well, closing the icy bars and creating a lock. He thought it was doubtful for him to wake anytime soon and took a deep breath. It would all be over soon they just need to get th-

His thought process was interrupted by the painful whines coming from Juvia as she struggled to stand. He rushed to her side and scolded her, "Ask for help dammit, don't just try to do it all by yourself."

Juvia silently nodded, accepting his support. She leaned into him as he helped her up on the carriage. Her clothes were burnt and tattered, revealing some more intimate areas around her hips. Gray looked away from the smoothness of her porcelain skin now bruised, berating himself in his head. She sat down, wincing. Her blue hair was more straight than wavy now, he noted. That was odd, _when we got here it had been wavy... Almost curly_. He thought it suited her. _Must've been the heat,_ he thought back on that fire wielding guy and flashed to the image of him bloodied.

It was over now. They could go home.

Juvia looked at the front of the carriage, empty. How was this thing supposed to move?

Seemingly reading her thoughts, Gray chimed in. "Now I haven't done this often so don't expect it to be the best, alright?" He put his hands together in a vaguely familiar way, "And don't you fuckin' dare tell Lyon."

Juvia looked at him dumbfounded. From his hands, ice emitted, taking shape into two horses. _Shires_ , she thought idly. It was funny, it had been in that book she was reading, a romance set in the country filled with adventure and danger. How she wished to be back home in her bed reading it. Her leg ached, as Gray's weight shifted the carriage as he sat himself down.

The ice horses came to life and began pulling the carriage through the large cave. Juvia was just glad they would be able to exit, it hadn't looked that big in here when they arrived in the dark, but with the campfire light reflecting through the ice, she could see clearly that it was rather large. Before they were too far she swung an arm as best as she could, putting off the flames with her water.

Hardly anything had come out, but that didn't matter anymore. It was over.

She settled in, watching Gray as he made a path for the horses to descend from the ledge. Once they reached the actual mountainside they found what looked like an abandoned trail and decided to follow it.

Gray crossed his arms, "Just don't let me fall asleep. If I do these horses _will_ melt and we'll just be sitting here."

He had expected Juvia to giggle at least. Like she always did… but she just stayed quiet and looked up at the moon. She stayed like that for a little bit before closing her eyes. She pushed hair behind her earrings and he saw those crescent moon earrings once more, except this time they got stained with a little blood that had been on her hand. Gray hadn't realized it was night already. He thought it'd be darker, but since the town near here was so small there wasn't much light pollution. The sky was vast and showed them the secrets of the universe, but the moon- that was the largest thing in their sight. It cascaded Juvia in cool blue light. Gray looked at her with a raised brow, she still hadn't been responsive. "Juvia?"

The silence was killing him. Was she doing this on purpose to punish him? As if he didn't feel bad enough.

He noted how her fair skin seemed to glow, and how oddly, under the moonlight her hair began to wave like before. Her eyes were still closed, Gray supposed that's why he felt comfortable doing what he was about to do.

She wasn't being that Juvia that watched him like a hawk. She was the tired and beaten Juvia who just wanted to rest. He didn't feel that annoying sense of irritation or anxiety from her affections, although he did miss her voice already somehow.

He reached over, wiping the blood from her earring. He brushed the soft warm skin of her cheek. As he pulled away she turned quickly to look at him. There was an odd feeling on the tips of his right hand's fingers when he made contact with her. It was a calming feeling at first, something quelling the darkness of his mark's magic, and then a sudden surge... it felt familiar. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when he had felt it before.

At first, Gray expected her expression to be that of fear. After what she had seen it wouldn't have been shocking, but instead, it was warm surprise. He could tell, even through the darkness of the night, that her cheeks were dusted pink.

He thought he should distract her, "Where'd ya get those earrings?" He said looking towards the joining trees as they approached the small town. The return trip really did seem to be a lot shorter. He could see small specks of warm light ahead. "You wear them a lot.." he added.

Juvia rubbed her hurt leg, her chest warming with the memory. "Lucy gave them to Juvia." She smiled, Gray looking at her surprised.

"A birthday gift.."

Gray could feel himself get nervous. When had it been her birthday? He didn't remember getting her anything or hearing about it. Lucy and everyone would've bombarded him, he knew that.

"Gray-sama and Natsu-san were on a mission then," She said, reading his expression. She didn't expect anything from him, truth be told. She knew he had been busy at the time, it had been right before everything happened.

Gray fell silent, feeling guilty.

"Lucy had said.. that if she were the stars in the sky then I-Juvia," she correctly quickly, "is like the moon."

Gray chuckled softly, his voice carrying into the rustling of the trees overhead. "It kinda sounds like she confessed her love for you."

Juvia giggled along with him, the warm town coming into view now. "Lucy is a special friend for Juvia but no one will ever hold a candle to you, Gray-sama."

He could feel his cheeks turn pink.

"I told you not to say stuff like that!" He fumed.

* * *

 **Thank you guys for reading!**

 **I've already gotten a good chunk of the next chapter done so expect it soon :)**


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